Raising Father
by Awen Sofer
Summary: It's tough raising parents these days especially when your father is the incorrigible Jiraiya. The trials and tribulations of being the daughter of the hopeless pervert can be both funny and sad at the same time while she desperately struggles to make a life for herself. OC/Non Canon Alternate Universe Not a pairing between the OC/Jiraiya
1. The Dirty Old Pervert's Daughter

Author's Note: I added this note because there seems to be some misconceptions about what this story is about. This is **not** an incest story between Jiraiya and the OC character of his daughter. It is a 'what if' type story of what if Jiraiya had a daughter and the struggles she would have to go through with him as a father; how it would effect her life and her relationship with him. Once again, nothing sexual occurs between the father and daughter. Hopefully, this will change the mind of a lot of readers and help them read past the first chapter.

* * *

The Dirty Old Pervert's Daughter

"Dad? Dad! DAD!" Maemi bellowed, losing her patience. Damned dirty old pervert. He was probably passed out in a drunken stupor at some whore's house. Her father was a never ending source of embarrassment.

It wasn't easy being the child of Jiraiya and Tsunade. Her mother at least was someone she could be proud of, but unfortunately she was stuck living with her father while her mother was off busy being chairwoman of her multimillion dollar corporation. Her father was busy being a lecherous, womanizing drunk which is why her mother ran from him in the first place. Because of her parents, people made certain assumptions about her. They expected her to be a shameless slut or an emotionless, hard driven workaholic. She was neither. Somehow she had fallen comfortably in between, achieving a sense of balance that neither one of her parents ever could. Yes, she enjoyed having sex but not without the boundaries of a committed relationship. She was also a hard worker with high ambitions but not at the cost of her social life and friends.

"What's all the shouting about?" a sleepy spike haired blond whined, nearly causing her to run into him when he unexpectedly appeared from one of the many guest rooms.

"AHHHHH! Dammit, Naruto! Why are you here again?" Maemi demanded, forcing her wildly beating heart back under control before it bashed a hole through her ribcage. "You scared the hell out of me."

"You're father and I practiced late then he went to the bar. I crashed here instead of going home," he explained, rubbing the sleep out of his huge blue eyes.

"You ought to just move in. You spend more time here than you do at your own apartment anyway," she muttered, continuing on her path to the kitchen.

"Is that an invitation?" he asked hopefully, following after her.

"Uh, no," she responded, feeling like she was being chased by a lonely puppy. She felt bad for him, she really did.

Naruto was an orphan her parents had both taken under their wings to nurture and assist with having a decent shot at life otherwise his chances would have been nil. He had always been like the little brother she never wanted; aggravating, annoying, but incredibly cute and somehow endearing. Her mother had been a good surrogate mom to him giving him guidance and advice, setting him on the right path so to speak. Her father had taught him martial arts and other so called life skills. Although she honestly could not understand how picking up women and being an all-around creep would benefit anyone. Thank goodness for the sweet blond, he had ignored most of _those _lessons. He was still a dork yet he had captured a place in her heart that made her feel affectionate toward him.

"You hungry? I'll cook something for you before I go to work," Maemi offered, measuring out coffee into the basket of the pot.

"Ramen?"

"No. Not for breakfast. Will you be here for dinner?"

"I can be," he answered with a wide grin on his forever boyishly handsome face. Despite being in his early twenties, he still managed to look all of twelve years old.

"All right. I'll do it then. Did you want something now?" she asked, pressing the button to get her morning wake up juice going.

"Nah," he yawned, scratching the back of his head. "I think I'll go back to bed."

Maemi watched the cute blond walk away noticing how broad his shoulders had gotten and eyeing his tanned muscular legs appreciatively. It was hard to find a man with great legs. He was wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer shorts. She cleared her throat when thoughts formed in her mind that should not. He was not her actual little brother but close enough that it would be weird if she acted on her thoughts.

"Dammit, Dad," she grumbled. She blamed him for her excessively wild imagination since he was an accomplished author and shameless sex feind. His one redeeming quality was that he was a sought after martial arts expertwho had many students despite being a degenerate lush.

Maemi made her coffee portable this morning so she would not be late for her job at the surf shop. She loved her job but her mother thought it was a pathetic waste of her time and her intelligence. Her father thought it was great since he had a tendency to be a slacker himself and have that surfer mentality of hang loose and enjoy life. She handled the retail side of the shop while her boyfriend, Shikamaru handled the making and selling of the surfboards. He even offered lessons which did not please her if the student was a girl because most of the time they were more interested in learning about his body rather the art of surfing. She guessed she would have to find a new job should they break up, but she did not want to think about that. Hopefully if and when that happened, it would be a long time from now. Shikamaru was also Naruto's friend which is another reason she would never consider acting on her inappropriate thoughts about the good looking and tempting half-naked blond in a room upstairs.

* * *

"Good morning, honey," Maemi called cheerily to be greeted with vision of yet another half-naked man.

Shikamaru was in his shop sanding down a special order wooden surfboard wearing his usual work uniform of swimming trunks and nothing else. Although he was sure this surfboard would never touch the first wave, he was putting as much time and attention into it that he did any other board he made. No one had used wooden surf boards in decades with the exception of the old school surfers who were nearly all dead now. He kissed her briefly without a word then went back to work.

"Morning, Ino," she called to her friend and employee who was in the shop straightening bikini's. She was wearing a hot pink bikini with tiny white hibiscus flowers on it. "Ooooh, nice choice. Is that the new one?"

"Yep. You like it?" she asked, proudly modeling the skimpy suit. She looked absolutely gorgeous with her long blond hair, thin body, and tanned skin.

"Yes, despite how much you make me want to vomit," Maemi returned only half joking.

Maemi was short and light skinned, extremely curvaceous with enormous breasts like her mother. She was sure that and that alone was the attribute that had drawn Shikamaru and any other man to her. Oh, well. Her personality must have some redeeming qualities otherwise he would not still be around. She pulled her platinum blond hair up into a ponytail. Her eyes were light brown falling in between the shades of her mother's amber eyes and her father's black ones.

The first person into the shop was Kiba, Shikamaru's other close friend. He did not work here and he never bought anything yet he showed up every day right on time to just hang out and flirt with pretty girls who came into the shop. He always brought his massive white dog, Akamaru, with him which garnered him even more attention from the female customers. Not that his appearance was anything to ignore either. With his shaggy brown hair, dark animalistic eyes, and fabulous body he was quite a treat to look at. His family owned a dog obedience school and dog breeding business that he helped out with somehow, although she had no idea when or how since he was always here.

"Morning, Ino. Morning, Boobzilla," he greeted them, receiving a slap to the back of the head from both women. He had a talent for being able to piss them off in less than thirty seconds.

"He's in the back working on a board," Maemi told him before he even asked about Shikamaru's location.

"Looking hot, Blondie," he said to Ino, slapping her on the behind before he made a quick retreat to the back of the shop.

"Jerk!" she yelled after him but with a smile on her face.

Maemi slid back the shuttered front doors, officially opening the shop to beckon in the customers from the already busy beach boardwalk. She leaned against the wall, staring at the waves that sparkled like liquid diamonds from the bright sun glinting off of them. One of these days, she would have to get Shikamaru to teach her how to surf. She waved to her other friend, Sakura, who was walking into the ice cream shop where she worked a few doors down.

"Hey, we need to get together some time and go out. Dump the guys and have a girl's night," Maemi suggested to Ino.

"We could get Ten Ten to be our designated driver. She doesn't like to drink anyway, but she still knows how to have a good time completely sober," Ino laughed, straightening the t-shirt on the mannequin torso on top of a display. "Why don't you ever wear a bikini? I bet we'd get a whole lot more customers if you dare to bare it rather than covering it up with a t-shirt and cut off shorts every day."

"Yes, but horny guys who stand and drool don't make us money," she pointed out.

"True," she agreed.

"And that's why I like my girl, business minded and oh, so modest," Shikamaru complimented, grabbing her around the waist to swing her around.

"Is that the only reason you like me?" she asked, brushing the sawdust from his broad tanned shoulders and well-built chest.

"No. There are two other big reasons," he quipped, wagging his dark eyebrows at her to be sure she knew he was joking.

Maemi giggled lightly leaning into him to kiss him for a longer more ardent kiss than earlier. He had been busy at that time, and she had not gotten the kind of kiss she wanted from him.

"Maemi!" a deep voice resonated down the boardwalk.

"Oh, no," she gasped, peeking around Shikamaru to see her father strolling toward the shop. He was dressed in a bright red shirt with big white flowers all over it and khaki cargo shorts. With his white hair pulled back in a ponytail, he looked like a surfer who refused to grow up. The assessment would be right on one of those accounts. The man absolutely rejected the idea of becoming a useful adult but by some miracle managed to do quite well for himself.

"Oh, look it's my future father-in-law," Shikamaru mumbled, turning to look at the man who was one of the few people who amused him greatly.

"You're what?" she asked, not sure she had heard that correctly. _Future father-in-law_. What the hell?

"What?" Was it a Freudian slip? Had he not noticed what he said?

"Never mind." She moved out of his arms to meet her father before he got to the store. "What are you doing here? Where were you last night? Who were you with? What do you mean by staying out all night without even telling me?"

"Slow your roll, Mom, geez," he muttered, putting up his hands as if to protect himself. At least, she was not as physically violent as her mother. His ex-wife had a mean right hook that she had used on him often. He would readily admit he had deserved it too.

"Stop trying to be young and cool! It just makes you look like a ridiculous old fart," Maemi chided him, shaking her finger in her face.

Oh, yeah, his daughter had that venomous tongue always ready with sharp, insulting words. What she lacked in physical violence she made up for with psychological cruelty. Jiraiya loved his little girl, but she could be a real bitch. He had simply drank one too many last night and found a sweet, pretty little thing to take him to her hotel room to sleep it off. What's the big deal? She was a tourist and would never be back anyway. They were his favorite kind of women because there was little risk of ever running into them again and having to endure a very awkward moment. He never had to answer the question "Why did you never call?" after a one night stand with the women on holiday.

"Go home, Dad. I'm at work. Your favorite pupil is there waiting for you. He's looking forward to an intense training session this afternoon. He said you went a little too easy on him yesterday," she falsely informed him, knowing he would make himself and Naruto miserable with a kick ass session. The only two things the man took seriously in life were his writing and training.

"You have a mean streak in you a mile wide, and it comes from your mother," he told her. He knew she was lying, but he had already planned to wear the boy's ass out by putting him through a difficult workout. The kid had been slacking off lately. And he knew the art of slacking off quite well.

"I got all of my charming personality traits from her. I hope I have none of yours you drunken, shiftless pervert," she growled, regretting it immediately when the hurt flickered in his dark eyes.

"Don't be that way, Maemi. I really do love you. I couldn't change to keep your mother. What makes you think I can change for you? Why would I even want to?" he inquired pointedly, turning to walk away.

'Touché, Dad,' she thought to herself feeling like a hateful, mean hag. She hated it when she lost her temper with him, but he was so infuriating.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her pride not allowing her to say it to him. She suddenly bolted after him, jumping back when he whirled around violently after she touched his shoulder. "Will you be at home for dinner tonight? I'm cooking. I asked your pet to stay."

"Dammit, Maemi, don't be so mean to him. He's really a good boy. Maybe if you could shake that surfer loser – "

"That surfer loser owns his own business which is quite profitable by the way. I should know because I take care of all of that. Naruto is sweet and all but he's younger than me, and he has a part time job as a bike messenger. Really, Dad? They don't even compare."

"It's only three years, and he's got big hopes and dreams."

"You and mom had big hopes and dreams. Look where that led," she said, not intentionally being harsh but it was nonetheless. "Only hard work and solid choices pay off. Not all of us can get by on ideals and the kindness of others like you have."

"Well, I just want you to be happy with whatever you do," he told her, reaching out his big hands to put them on her shoulders.

"Happiness isn't important. Responsibility and fulfilling duties are. Grow up, Dad. I'll see you at dinner tonight," she said, moving forward to hug him. She decided not to say another word so she would not hurt his feelings worse. He was her father after all so she was trying to love him as best as she could. Was it like this for her mother? It was probably worse for Tsunade because there were so many more and much stronger feelings involved.

Jiraiya held her briefly realizing just how much like her mother she really was. Maybe he should be a more mature, responsible adult. But some things are just damn near impossible.


	2. His Reputation Precedes Her

His Reputation Precedes Her

Maemi had just tossed the vegetables into the pot when they walked in from their training session in the backyard. She placed her hands on her hips as she glared at her father. Poor Naruto. He stumbled in exhausted, red-faced, and winded while her father casually strolled in whistling cheerfully. Apparently it had been a drill sergeant, 'do as I say, not as I do' type training session. She hated it when her father did that to him because it showed just how excessively lazy he could be while being almost cruel and definitely harsh to his student.

"What?" Jiraiya asked, smiling at his furious daughter as he walked into the kitchen. Naruto had hauled himself to a well-deserved shower.

"When did teaching entail nothing but telling the student what to do?" she inquired, shaking the spoon in her hand at him.

"You've been to college. You know that's all it consists of now," he retorted, reaching for the lid but his hand was slapped.

"Yes, but I was not learning the art of fighting. How do you teach that without being physically involved?" She took out a noodle with a pair of chopsticks and held it out for him. A smile touched her lips as he happily slurped it up.

"It's more than just fighting. That's good. Just like everything you cook," he complimented, patting his belly which had grown some. "I may have to start sparring more often to get rid of this weight you're putting on me."

"Don't push yourself too much, Dad. I would hate to deprive the horny female tourists of their chance to experience one of the sexual wonders of the world. Ow!" she yelled when he smacked her hard on the behind in a very nonsexual, reprimanding way.

"That mouth of yours can be quite shocking. Don't be a filthy little trollop," he admonished her, his eyes quite serious and angry.

"Dad, don't you find that a bit hypocritical?" she asked, stinging him again with her biting words.

"You're amazing. Simply amazing," he grumbled, walking away from her.

So far her hope of having a nice family dinner was not getting off to a good start. It was her fault because she could not seem to keep her mouth shut. Maemi set the table while the ramen finished cooking. Naruto appeared as she set the pot on the table.

"You okay, baby brother?" she asked, examining the bruise forming around his right eye.

"Don't call me that," he grunted, hissing when she gingerly touched his cheek. "What are you doing?"

"Checking for damage and how far this bruise extends. After dinner, get an ice pack to put on it," she told him, checking for other injuries that might have to be treated. This was why she had absolutely no interest in learning any form of martial arts especially not from her father. Her interest was so nonexistent she was not even sure what he taught exactly. Whatever it was always caused injuries of varying degrees to his favorite student.

"Hey, I got a movie today. Want to watch it with me?" he asked, resting his hands on her waist as he watched her concerned face while she poked around on his chest. He hissed and winced when she touched his sore ribs. Her dad had really put him through it today. It was as if Jiraiya were upset about something and took it out on him during the training. He could only assume it had something to do with the man's pretty but aggravating daughter standing in front of him.

"Sure. You're staying again tonight?" she inquired, raising his shirt to look at the sensitive spot she had discovered.

"Yeah," he growled through his gritted teeth as she poked at his tender ribs.

"It's not broken, but I imagine it hurts. I'm sorry," she apologized, allowing her fingers to slide along his amazingly toned abs. Biting her lower lip as her mind wandered, she moved to the other side of his ribcage to check for damage. She felt him move toward her and she raised her elbow to push it against his chest. "Don't, just don't okay. I can never see you as anything more than my little brother."

"But I'm not. Are you sure you can't, or just won't, see me as anything more? I –" His big blue eyes were pleading with her, and she could barely stand it.

"Is dinner ready? I'm starving," Jiraiya announced, slapping his hands together and making such a loud noise it caused the other two people to nearly jump out of their skin. "What are you up to Nurse Maemi?"

"Not that, you old degenerate. Get your mind out of that gutter," she snapped, finishing her examination of her patient. Following him to the table, she served them heaping bowls of the ramen. She served herself a much smaller portion which she only picked at while avoiding Naruto's ardent gaze. Had she led him on? Was there something she had done to cause this? No. She had done nothing to temp him to fall in love with her. If anything she had worked hard to dissuade him by treating him just like a real brother.

After dinner, her father disappeared to his room. Maemi was astonished he was not going out tonight. Once the dishes were done, she and Naruto went to the living room together to watch the movie. When he grabbed a pillow and threw it in her lap, she almost complained as he laid his head on it. Instead of griping, she helped him position the ice pack she had made for him on his cheek so he could still see the TV screen. Halfway through the movie she could see he was struggling to stay awake so she began sliding her fingers through his soft blond spikes to put him on to sleep. Dealing with him was like handling a small child sometimes, but she did not mind. She carefully scooted out from under pillow, gently setting it down on the couch. She grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and covered him up.

"Good night, sweetie," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

"I love you, Maemi," he murmured sleepily, snuggling down into the blanket.

"I love you too, Blondie," she whispered back, kissing him again. But only as a little brother.

Maemi left him sleeping on the couch and ran to her room. She grabbed her cell phone from her nightstand to see what she had missed: two calls from Shikamaru and numerous texts from Ino, Sakura, and Ten Ten.

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked her after the typical greetings.

"Nothing," she answered, looking at her texts while she spoke to him through the speaker.

"Would you like to be doing something? Specifically me?" he inquired. She could hear the smile coming through his voice. "But no, seriously, a few of us are getting together for a bit of night surfing. Wanna come? You can be waiting on the beach to warm me up."

"No. Not tonight. I'm really tired," she said, rolling over onto her side to stare out of the window. "Besides, someone needs to be at the store to open it on time. Be careful!"

"Yes, I hear you loud and clear. I'll see you around noon. Good night," he responded ending the call.

Maemi took a deep breath; she hated it when he went night surfing. It was a full moon night and too tempting to resist for him. It seemed so much more perilous and risky as if surfing needed any added elements of danger. It would be impossible to find him if something happened. Flipping through the texts and responding to a few of them, she began to feel drowsy. Most of the messages were about stupid banal stuff like Sakura's pedicure, Ino's new hairstyle, and Ten Ten's new dress. She put her phone on her nightstand and turned off the light. Not bothering to get undressed, she wiggled underneath the sheet. She was just drifting off the sleep when there was a soft knock on her door.

"What is it?" she groggily asked, shielding her eyes when the door opened and the hall light blinded her.

"Can I sleep with you?" Naruto inquired standing next to her bed.

"What? Are kidding me?"

"I had one of _those_ nightmares."

"All right. Come on," she muttered, flipping back the covers.

Maemi had been caught at a completely weak moment. Not only was she half asleep but she knew the particular type of nightmare he was referring to. He had suffered these horrible night terrors occasionally since his childhood where he actually remembered seeing his parents terrifying and gory deaths. She pulled back the cover as an invitation for him to get in and moved over, although there was already plenty of room beside her on her queen size bed. She groaned grumpily when he moved around quite a bit to get comfortable.

"Quit! And don't you dare touch me while I'm asleep. Don't be a pervert," she snapped, rolling into the sheet despite being fully clothed in her shorts and t-shirt.

"I won't," he promised, turning his back to hers so he would not be tempted.

"Good night," she mumbled drowsily, drifting back off before she could hear his response.

* * *

"Well, well, isn't this something," Jiraiya murmured to himself with quite a bit of satisfaction as he stared at them from the doorway to her room.

During the night they had both kicked away the sheet and turned toward each other. Naruto's face was lying on top of her ample décolletage. The wide, silly grin on his face showed how happy he was with his new pillow. Maemi's arms were wrapped around his neck holding him firmly against her while one of her legs was between his and the other was fastened around his hips. How in the hell did this happen?

"Brother my ass," he muttered, raising the camera. "Who's the pervert now?"

"What are you doing dirty old man?" she growled, sounding like an angry mother bear.

"Do you know who you've got in your arms?" he asked gleefully, watching her slowly rouse from a deep sleep. He readied the camera again to take a picture of her flabbergasted expression when she was finally awake.

"Yeah, I do," she said softly, stroking Naruto's cheek.

"Damn," he grumbled. What a disappointment!

"You're really disgusting…and hopeless," she griped at him, throwing him a dirty look. Glancing down at the blond in her arms, she kissed his forehead. She carefully unhinged herself from him and slid from the bed to leave him sleeping.

"Dad, the dreams are back," she informed her father after walking out of the room.

Jiraiya was suddenly very serious. The boy had not been plagued with those memories for years. Why now? Was he too hard on him yesterday? That explains why she was willing to be so extraordinarily affectionate with Naruto and allowed him to sleep with her. At least she was not a total ice queen like her mother. But there were things he could have done to have prevented that. He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. The past can't be fixed by regretting it or feeling guilt.

"I've got to get ready for work. It's up to you to handle him when he wakes up," she said sadly, walking toward the bathroom.

"Hey, Maemi," her father called, grabbing her hand. "I'm sorry I wasn't always there for you. I'm sorry about how things worked out with your mother. I'm…"

"Yeah, I know. Me too," she replied, pulling away from him. She did not want him to see her tears, and she did not want to hear anymore apologies.

* * *

After opening the store, Maemi sat on the bench in front to enjoy her coffee and flaky apple turnover. She was the only person at work so far which did not surprise her. Looking down the boardwalk, she saw a group of young men headed her way.

"Shit," she muttered when she recognized the two in front: Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha. They were the brothers who were leaders of a notorious posse of assholes who loved to harass tourists for no special purpose other than to abate their boredom and indulge their sadistic tendencies. Sometimes they would torment the locals as well. Maybe they will just walk on by without a word.

"Hey, baby, what are you doing out here all alone?" one of the members of the crew asked.

Obviously, swine had not sprouted feathers, and it appeared today was her lucky day to be their next victim. Dammit. Maemi tried to ignore them but the one who had spoken to her parked himself on the bench in front of her.

"Hidan," she snarled in acknowledgement without looking at him.

"So this is where you've been keeping yourself?" he asked in his deep sexy voice.

"Uh huh. Why don't you go back to the rock you crawled out from under?" she suggested snottily, raising her eyes to meet his unique dark purple ones. She would swear he wore contacts or maybe he was just weird. Most of them were weird in some way whether it be body piercings or tattoos or some other unique and hideous body alteration. He had prematurely gray hair that made him look much older than his actual age but unfortunately it did not detract from his treacherous good looks. He was trouble on two legs and looked like it.

They both ignored the hoots and howls of approval and amusement from his buddies as they engaged in a silent battle of wills while they glared at each other. Hidan unexpectedly lunged for her and she flipped over backwards, rolling off the bench and onto her feet. This took him and his friends by surprise, gaining her a few more comments from the group.

"You're that perverted teacher's daughter, aren't you?" he inquired, licking his lips as he looked her up and down.

"Yeah, what of it?" She backed away when he moved toward her giving her a long, lecherous gaze.

"I bet you would be great fuck. I'd especially like to get my hands and mouth on those huge tits of yours. Whaddya say sweet thing? Why don't you let me give you a hard ride? You'll like. I promise," he growled like the beast he was being. He sprang forward grabbing her by the hair with one hand while his other hand latched onto her breast and squeezed so hard it brought tears to her eyes.

"That's enough, Hidan. Let her go!" Itachi Uchiha ordered fiercely.

"Who the fuck are you to –"

"Let her go now or you'll have the both of us to deal with," Sasuke warned, stepping up next to his brother.

"You bastards don't know what real fun is. She would be great. I would have shared the leftovers," he panted, shoving her away.

Maemi glared at the amazingly big asshole as he walked away with his friends. Taking several deep breaths to calm herself down, she gathered her wits and readied herself for her day. If only that was the first time an incident like that had occurred… maybe it was a good thing it was not. She would not say she had become accustomed to being molested by men when they realized who her father was, but it had become commonplace enough that she could shrug it off as if nothing had happened. Her father was an infamous Casanova, therefore, they expected her to be an easy sexual target as well.

* * *

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ino immediately questioned her upon her arrival to work.

"Hidan grabbed me this morning," Maemi replied, giving the bottles of suntan lotion she was rearranging her full attention to avoid the worried gaze of her friend. She had seen that look too many times in the past followed by 'have you called the police?' and 'why aren't you going to do something?' Finally, they stopped asking the questions but that pitying look of concern remained. "Don't tell, Shika. Okay?"

"Okay," she reluctantly agreed, patting her friend's shoulder. "I'm scared one of these days someone is really going to hurt you."

"Me too." She had been lucky so far and had not been raped. However, she could not stop being Jiraiya's daughter or keep men from making certain assumptions about her. Not even her father could change people's minds about the atrocious reputation he had made for himself.


	3. Girls Night Out

Girls Night Out

Maemi flopped down face first on her bed. What a day! First thing that morning Jiraiya hits her with the earth shattering news that Naruto is moving in. She screamed and cried, ranting and raving like a two year old who was throwing a tantrum. Her father could not understand what the big deal was since Naruto spent most of his time at their house anyway and had been treated like an actual member of the family since he was a small child. It had been going on for years so why not just help the boy out and let him move in? Yes, why not?

Thinking she could escape the madness at work, Maemi left early to open the store. Itachi Uchiha was waiting for her with a white rose; a peace offering and apology for his dumbass friend's actions. His being there was not bad because he was being very nice and sweet. He had always been a good guy, and she could not understand why he hung around with all those guys where just _not_ good. Even his own brother had questionable actions sometimes that made people wonder what kind of person he really was. She was standing outside talking to him when Shikamaru showed up for work and that was when things began to go wrong. After telling Itachi good-bye because she was receiving stares so deadly from her boyfriend it felt like he poisoning her system, she was compelled to explain his presence. Shikamaru exploded like a roman candle when she told him about the incident with Hidan.

"I'm your boyfriend dammit! How could you not come to me? I should have been here to protect you. Don't you ever hide anything from me again! I woulda kicked his damn ass had I known! You've made me look like a fool! Weak and pathetic! Like I can't take care of you! Dammit, Maemi," and on and on Shikamaru bitched and moaned until she felt like plugging her ears. It seemed like he was upset more about his pride being sullied than her being violated. When he was done yelling, he did not say anything else at all. He kept up a stony silence all day, not even hugging and kissing her good-bye when she left work. Jerk.

* * *

Maemi's phone vibrated right off her nightstand when it was hit with a blitz of text messages. They all asked the same question: _Girls night out?_ Oh, hell yes! She was busy texting while she slowly made her way down the hall to the bathroom. Her attention was on her phone so she did not notice the sound of running water that would have warned her that the shower was occupied. She opened the door while reading a text a message but her attention was quickly pulled to the shower.

Naruto stood under the water with his head bowed and his hands pressed against the wall to prop himself up. The water splattered against his chest and trickled over his wash board abdominals in little rivulets. Her eyes meandered down to his long, thick…oh my god! Little brother only described him in age that was for sure.

Maemi knew she should turn and run but she could not. Swallowing convulsively, she tried to clear away the lump that had formed in her throat. Her eyes moved to his hand when it pressed against his chest then slid down his belly and even further down to grasp the big rod between his legs. Oh, dear god! She really was a pervert like her father! Turning around to make a hasty retreat, she carefully closed the door behind her. She felt so hot she thought she would melt or faint and wished she could do both to just disappear right now. Slamming and locking the door to her room, she leaned against it and slid down to the floor. The image of him in all his shockingly enticing naked glory ran through her head while she listened for him to come out of the bathroom.

"Oh, dear god. I am like Dad," she muttered to herself, beating her head on the door.

"Maemi! Are you okay?" Naruto asked. He must have heard her hitting the door.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Are you done in the bathroom? I need to get ready to go out!" she yelled through the door, refusing to open it. She could tell he was on the other side because she could see his shadow moving under the door.

"It's all yours," he answered.

Maemi stood up, watching the shadows sway back and forth as he walked away. She opened the door and hurried to the bathroom to get her shower. Making sure the door was locked, unlike other people in the house, she undressed and jumped into the shower.

"NARUTO!" she screamed when the water turned freezing cold halfway through. At least that cured her of any lingering aftereffects from seeing him naked. She was nice and frigid, so much so that she was shivering when she got out of the shower.

Wearing her ever present bikini, this one a terrible neon green color but she love it, and a pair of low slung jeans, Maemi was almost ready for her night out. Young women in this town always wore a bikini during the summer because they never knew when they would take an impromptu trip to the beach for a midnight swim or anything else. She picked a plain white button down shirt to wear over her top. Leaving it completely unbuttoned, she tied it underneath her ample bosom as if they needed any more attention drawn to them. Her boyfriend had pissed her off, and she was on the prowl. She might be job hunting on Monday.

"To hell with it all," Maemi mumbled, slicking on lip gloss and running down the stairs.

"WHOA!" a duet of male voices yelled at her.

What the hell? Maemi turned to see two very aggravated men staring at her: a white haired father and a blond brother. She could not stop her blush when her brown eyes met massive blue ones. She knew something about him that he did not know she knew.

"Where are you going dressed like that?" Jiraiya demanded. He looked like an angry white lion with his shaggy long hair poking in all directions from around his head. His deep scowl of disapproval kept it from being funny.

"Out," she answered, turning to open the door. A horn sounded outside. "My ride is here."

The two men looked out the door to see a topless Jeep full of girls who were giggling and screaming.

"Oh, geez," Naruto muttered, rolling his eyes. "Where are the rest of your clothes, Sis? You're only half dressed. Your, ah, those, um, your big…" He put his hands in front of chest like he was cupping a pair of breasts. "They're not covered up."

"You don't like them?" she asked, walking up to him and pressing her breasts against his chest.

"Stop torturing the boy," her father fussed at her watching Naruto turn a disturbing shade of crimson. "He doesn't like them. He loves them!"

"DAD!" they both yelled at him.

"I'm leaving. I have my phone. Text if you need anything. Not wanting to get your own dinner is not an emergency. There's leftovers or you can eat out. Bye!" she yelled, running out the Jeep.

Shrieks and squeals of greetings went up when Maemi jumped into the back of the waiting Jeep. Ten Ten floored the vehicle, leaving black tracks on the pavement.

"Women," Naruto grumbled, shaking his head.

"They're lovely creatures. Really they are," Jiraiya murmured pensively with a salacious grin on his face.

"Damned dirty old man."

* * *

"Hey! That's mine!" Maemi screeched, grabbing the tequila shot from Sakura.

"But you have a margarita!" she screamed back over the music.

"It's my warm up. Get your own!" She kicked back the shot then began sipping on the margarita.

"Ooooh, that's a cute one!" Ino yelled, pointing to a person with long blond hair.

"Is that a guy?" Maemi asked, then screamed, "Oh, my god! It's a male you Ino! He wears more eyeliner though."

"That's Deidara. He's a mean little shit. Stay away from him," Ten Ten warned.

"I like a challenge. Hey, he's got a redheaded friend who's really cute. Let's go," Maemi said, grabbing Ino by the hand. "You want your twin or the redhead?"

"The redhead. What about Shika? He's going to be pissed," Ino warned.

"He will find something to get pissed off about eventually. I might as well be ready when it comes. Call this a preemptive strike."

"You're asking for it."

"That's right. Besides, why pay for drinks when someone else can by them?" Maemi bounced up to the blond who ogled her with great interest. If breasts had eyes, she would always be locked in eye contact with men.

"Hello, beautiful, can I buy you a drink?" he asked, pulling out the stool next to him for her to sit down on.

Maemi hoisted her behind up onto the stool and leaned over to whisper her request for a margarita with a tequila shot in his ear. His soft blond hair tickled her nose so she ran her fingers through it move it away.

"Oh, that's amazing," she said, burying both of her hands into his long, luxurious locks to run it through her fingers.

"Can I touch something on you now?" he inquired brashly, smiling lecherously at her while his glassy blue eyes hovered on her breasts.

"Only after I've had that drink," she replied, knowing exactly what he had in mind.

After the drink, they had a dance. Captain Cop-a-Feel took advantage of the slow dance to get a good feel of her breasts and her ass. When the song was over, Maemi swiftly moved back to her group of friends with Ino in tow. After being molested by Deidara, she was done for the night. She would by her own drinks and stay parked at the table. She did not count on the libidinous blond seeking her out.

"Miss me?" he breathed into her ear. He was standing behind her with his body pressed to her back.

Maemi leaned forward trying to put as much space between them as possible. "Not really," she answered truthfully.

"Oh, baby, don't be cruel. I'll buy you another drink," he offered, catching the waitress when she ran by. How convenient.

"No! That's not –" Damn. What would he want in return this time? Bet he would like a fu –

"Hey!" he yelled, leaning right into her personal space and nearly falling off the bar stool. Man, he was drunk! "How about a kiss?"

"How about no?" a male voice said, taking the words right out of her mouth.

Maemi glanced to her right to see her advocate was Itachi. Where had he come from?

"Hey, Deidara, get lost. You're too drunk to be good company for the lady. Leave," Itachi ordered him in a way that did not allow for arguments. He took Deidara's bar stool when the extremely inebriated blond staggered away.

"Thanks. Are you always a savior?" she asked, pulling out her money when the waitress returned with her drink.

"I try to be," he answered, waving her hand away. He paid for her drinks and his beer.

Maemi reached up, tracing the deep grooves in his face from the corner of his dark eyes, down the sides of his nose. She was an overly friendly and inquisitive drunk.

"It's a family trait. Mine are a lot more pronounced and longer than my father's," he explained although she had not asked the question.

For the rest of the evening Maemi slowly sipped margaritas and talked to her new friend and protector while her friends caroused on the dance floor and hit on various guys.

"Maemi! Tell your friend good-bye. It's time to go," Ten Ten yelled, herding her drunken charges out of the door.

"Well, thank you, Itachi. 'Bye," she said, allowing him to help her from the barstool. She wavered unsteadily and leaned into him.

"I'll talk to you soon," he assured her, balancing her on her feet. "Good-bye."

* * *

"Naruto!" Maemi gasped when he suddenly materialized out of the dark right in front her. She poked him in the chest. "You don't do that to a drunk person."

"God, you are definitely that. How much did you drink?" he asked, wrinkling his nose from the overwhelmingly sweet alcohol smell coming from her.

"I don't know. I lost count," she slurred, throwing her arms around his neck and falling into his arms. "Mmmm…take me to bed."

'If only you weren't drunk as hell,' he thought to himself. Since they were right out in front of his bedroom, he dragged her to his bed.

Maemi wallowed around on the thick fluffy chocolate brown comforter then looked at the blond boy, no man, sitting beside her. She pulled him down to lay alongside her, pressing her hand to his tanned cheek that now had a pink blush to it. Her lips pressed to his briefly while her hand slid down his chest and over to his back.

"I love you," she said, kissing his forehead.

"Mae-Mae, just go to sleep," he muttered, turning off the light. He was thankful for the momentary reprieve of not being held in her arms and pressed against her body.

"You haven't called me that in years," she sighed, snuggling into him. The last time he called her that was when he was twelve years old. She had slapped him, bringing tears to his eyes before she screamed at him to never call her that again. "I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling the sting of guilt and regret from the unwelcome memory.

Naruto did not ask what she was apologizing for. He was too painfully aware of her breasts that were pressed against his abdomen and her lips touching his bare chest. Kissing her head that was firmly tucked beneath his chin, his fingers brushed down her arm and grazed the round swell of her breast. In a burst of bravery that surprised him, he cupped her massive breast and rubbed across the nipple that was already straining against the thin material of her bikini top. He drew the exploring hand back when she moaned and stirred against him.

Holy hell! Was Jiraiya's brand of perverseness catching? Naruto was about to take advantage of drunk woman who was nearly passed out in his bed. And not just any drunk woman, but the woman he called sister and the daughter of the two people he owed so much to. He carefully slipped out of her arms so he could go to the bathroom to take care of his problem to prevent a very painful wake-up call.

Maemi snuggled into the thick comforter, grabbing his pillow to hold it against her chest. Why had she let him bring her in here? She should have known the temptation it would stir up especially with her alcohol soaked brain and touchy feely style of drunkenness. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she was on the very cusp of sleep when Naruto returned. She moaned slightly as the bed shifted under her making her feel as if she were adrift on the ocean.

"I love you, big sister," Naruto whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek.

Maemi wanted to beg him to hold her, but she knew it would only lead to trouble. Sighing loudly she allowed herself to get lost in the world of sleep.


	4. Daddy Gets His Wish

Daddy Gets His Wish

Jiraiya stood at the end of Naruto's bed staring at his sleeping daughter. He and the boy had already been awake for hours and it was time for the Princess to wake up now that it was two in the afternoon. Holding the pot in one hand and the metal ladle in the other, he drew in a deep breath to yell as he banged on the pot with all his might.

"Come on, Sunshine! Wakey wakey!" he bellowed, laughing uproariously when she was so startled she fell off the bed.

"DAMMIT, DAD!" Maemi screamed, popping up from the floor on the side of the bed. She grabbed her head and groaned, appearing as if she were about to burst into tears.

Taking pity on his hung-over daughter, Jiraiya reached down to help her to her feet. He pulled her into his arms for a brief hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Oh, damn, I wish I had gotten the license plate of that Mac truck that hit me," she mumbled, following her father out of the door.

"Your coffee is waiting downstairs, Princess," he told her.

Maemi stopped at the glass sliding doors that offered a full view of their big back yard on her way to the kitchen . She stared at Naruto as he stood on the rail of the bridge over the koi pond balancing on one leg. Her eyes slid over his extraordinarily aesthetically pleasing body that was clad in only a bright orange pair of shorts. Yuck! How she hated that color. His golden brown skin glistened in the sun from the sweat and his muscles gently flexed and flowed while maintaining his balance. So handsome, so elegant…she watched as he unexpectedly lost his balance, as if the wind had pushed him over, and fell into the koi pond. So dorky. She snorted to stifle her laughter then let loose a loud barking laugh as he sat waist deep in the filthy pond angrily slapping at the water. She shook her head and went to the kitchen to get her coffee.

"Want to go out tonight?" Jiraiya asked.

"What's the occasion?"

"Nothing. Just to do it. A daddy-daughter date. What do you think?"

Maemi smiled. He was being so sweet, how could she say no? For the first time ever he wanted to spend time with her – just her. Not one of his students or some other woman, but her.

"Sure, Dad. I can't wait."

* * *

The 'date' consisted of a big basket of chili cheese fries and two large sodas bought at the fast food stand on the boardwalk. They sat on a bench and watched people walk by while talking about anything and everything under the sun. For dessert, they went to the ice cream shop where Sakura works. Maemi and her friend talked for a moment while another employee was getting the order ready.

"So what are you up to?" Sakura asked her, staring warily at Jiraiya.

"I am on a date with my Father," Maemi answered, noticing the weird expression on her friend's face. "Not like that, you idiot! Damn, that's repulsive even for him. He's not _that_ perverted. We're just spending time together."

"Oh, I get it" she responded, smiling thinly. "Hey, there's a beach party tonight. Wanna come?"

"'I might. See ya, Sakura!" she yelled, running out of the door behind her father. She gratefully took the tall swirled cone of vanilla ice cream from him, quickly lapping up the part at the bottom that was already melting.

"I know it wasn't anything special, but have you enjoyed your evening?" he asked, staring out at the sun setting across the ocean.

"I had a blast, Dad," she giggled. She honestly could not have seen them going to a fancy sit down restaurant together. It just was not his style. Casual, fun, laid back – that was his style.

"I'm sorry I've been such a problem to you over the years. I just…I just never imagined the consequences some of my actions would have," he said, keeping his eyes on the horizon to avoid her gaze.

"Why don't we forget about the past and just make things better from here?" she asked, smiling at him when he walked toward her and hugged her.

"I think that's a great idea."

* * *

"Hey, baby!" Shikamaru yelled into the phone when she answered it.

"What? Where are you?" Maemi asked him, barely able to hear him over the music blasting in the background. This must be the party Sakura had mentioned earlier.

"I'm at the beach! We're having a bonfire and drinks and music and friends and you need to hurry up and get down here!" he hollered over the hyena like laughter of two girls near him. He sounded plastered already. So nice of him to wait until he was completely wasted to call her.

Maemi almost told him no out of pride and aggravation, but she changed her mind. Her eyes lit on the unsuspecting blond sitting next to her on the couch. He said they were having friends so she was going to bring a friend. Hanging up the phone while Shikamaru was still drunkenly yelling into it, she checked her messages. When she finished reading her texts, she saw that her friends would be there too.

"Hey, Blondie, wanna go to a party?" she inquired, touching his knee with her foot to get his attention when he did not react.

"What?" he asked, pulling the earphone out of his ear. He nodded enthusiastically after she repeated the question.

After changing into a bikini, t-shirt, and short khaki shorts, she grabbed a black hoodie with a glow in the dark surf shop logo on it. She took Naruto by the hand and pulled him along behind her. Walking out of the door with her sandals in her hand, they went to her car to drive to the beach.

When they arrived, the fire was blazing, Kiba was already drunk, and her friends had not yet gotten there. Shikamaru had gone out for a bit of night surfing. What an incredibly big dumbass. Was he purposely trying to kill himself or give her a heart attack? Perhaps her father was right about him after all. Maybe it had nothing to do with monetary reasons that he did not like her boyfriend. Her body was suddenly wracked by an unexpected chill when a strong wind blew off the water. She smiled at Naruto when he put his arm around her and pulled her close to warm her up.

Maemi squealed in response to seeing her friends, rushing toward them to hug each one in turn. The guys were not so amused with their loud, shrieking reunion and rolled their eyes while shaking their heads – the official male reaction to feminine bonding. Akamura thought for sure he could get some attention because he loved the girls just as much as his owner so he trotted over while wagging his tail lazily. Sure enough; all of the women dropped to their knees to offer pats, scratches behind his ears, hugs and kisses to his head. He was loving it.

"Damn dog," Kiba muttered, wishing it was him.

"Oh, Kiba, jealous?" Sakura cooed, jogging over to him and dropping onto her knees beside him. She pushed up his shirt, brushing her hand across his washboard abs. "How about a belly rub?"

"How 'bout you rubbin' somethin' else, Pinky?" he slurred drunkenly, grabbing her by the arms to pull her down for a kiss.

The infuriated woman with the pink hair and stunned green eyes ripped her lips from his with a scream. She slapped him across the face with a sound loud enough it made everyone flinch when they heard it. "Jerk!" she yelled, shoving him away. "You would be likable if you weren't such an ass."

"Why don't you kiss mine, Sakura?" he giggled, finishing off his beer.

Shino poked the fire, sending up a burst of sparks when Sakura went by. He smiled meanly when she yelped in surprise and hurried off. Although it was nighttime, he was wearing his mirrored round sunglasses. He pulled up the collar of his jacket to hide his amused grin.

Choji appeared dragging a cooler behind him across the sand.

"Is it beer or food?" Rock Lee inquired nosily. He was such a big dork for the most part yet he had somehow managed to implant himself in their group of friends. Everyone just dealt with it and never said a word because he did have his cool moments; usually when he was drunk.

"It's beer, asshole. What if it was food?" Choji testily queried.

"I'd tell ya to go back and get beer because we're nearly out," he hollered back.

"Bunch of damn drunks! We haven't even had one yet!" Ino yelled on the verge of whining.

"Neji is coming with a whole keg so chill out," Kiba grunted, punctuating his sentence with a loud burp.

"Oh, who invited him?" Ten Ten inquired nosily.

"What part of 'whole keg' did you not get?" he remarked with sarcasm.

"Hinata's coming too," Ino announced, staring at her phone.

"Hey, Ino! Come sit next to me, and I'll give you a beer!" Kiba yelled, patting the sand next to him as he held out a cold bottle straight from Choji's cooler.

Her friends watched as Ino gamely trotted over to him and plopped down on the sand next to him. She grabbed the beer and sucked half of it down in a matter of seconds. They watched as he leaned forward and kissed her. It was obvious there was some tongue action going on which made the girls look away with expressions of distaste and held the attention of the boys.

"Maybe later I'll give you something else to suck on," he murmured, ignoring the remarks of disgust from the females.

"Hmmm, I guess she liked that idea," Sakura mumbled, licking her lips as she eyed one of the other boys. She was searching for her next victim.

Maemi could not care less who she was after. As much as she adored her friend, Sakura was something of a slut going from bed to bed without any hesitation or regrets. She followed her line of sight to see who the intended target could be. In horror she realized it was Naruto.

"You know he's been dating Hinata, right?" Maemi pointed out, startling her friend who had been caught staring.

"Yeah, so? It's not like he's getting anything from her. She's still a virgin and the last great hold out. I imagine he's pretty frustrated about now," she muttered, licking her lips again as if she were a hungry carnivore ready to make a kill.

"Don't touch him. He's my brother," she warned her lascivious friend, her eyes darkening and turning deadly.

"No, he's not. Why do you care anyway? He –" Sakura allowed the words to stop when Maemi grabbed her collar and pulled back her fist. "Okay, okay! I get it! Hands off! I don't really like him anyway."

Maemi released her and stalked off toward Naruto only to be seized by a pair of cold, wet arms and pulled against a soaking wet body. She screamed as Shikamaru completely enclosed her and held her tightly with her back to his chest.

"Baby!" Shikamaru yelled, kissing her cheek.

"Shika!" she wailed, struggling to free herself. "You're getting me soaking wet! Stop it!"

"Don't worry. I know how to warm you up," he said, licking her from her shoulder to her earlobe.

"Ewwwww!" she howled.

Shikamaru released his grip on her to seize her by the hand and lead her down to the ocean by the huge rocks. Grabbing her hoodie and pulling it over her head, he placed it on one of the rocks.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she demanded, trying to pull away from him.

"I said I was going to warm you up, so come on," he said, picking her up like a child and sitting her on her shirt so the sharp rock would not cut into her legs. "You've been holding out on me anyway."

Maemi was so disappointed. The sex was way less than satisfying partly because he was so drunk and partly because she just was not into it. Her mind kept drifting during the whole lackluster event to mundane things like what she needed to do tomorrow at work. It was sad the sex was so uninteresting that she was having boring thoughts. Finally it was over and she suddenly remembered why they had not been having sex much lately. If he would stay away from the beer, it would help. Feeling dirty and dissatisfied, she put her bikini back on and ran out into the water. It did not come as a surprise to her when he did not follow, but instead opted to return to the bonfire for more beers. Allowing the warm gentle waves to carry her body, she floated on the surface and stared up at the moon. She had the feeling things were about to change drastically for her.

* * *

When Maemi awoke it was still early in the morning. She and Naruto had left the party soon after her midnight swim. He had gotten hammered during the short time she was gone because everyone kept plying him with alcohol for the express purpose of getting him drunk. Sometimes she was not sure why they considered those people friends. She had deposited him in his bed, which was no easy task since he had passed out half way up the stairs, then went to her room to fall asleep.

After staring at the ceiling in the gray light of dawn for several minutes, she grabbed her phone and dialed Shikamaru not expecting him to pick up the phone, but she was going to leave a message. She had left last night without saying a word. Not that he would care or remember anyway as drunk as he was.

"Hello?" a drowsy female called into the phone.

"I-I must have the wrong number," she stammered staring at her phone. She put it back to her ear when she heard her name being called by the woman.

"Maemi?" the woman asked. "Maemi, is that you?"

"Sa-Sakura?" she stuttered in shock upon recognizing the voice. What the hell was wrong with her this morning? She seemed to have developed an emotionally related speech impediment. Why was Sakura answering Shikamaru's phone? The reality of why hit her with the force of a punch to the gut.

"Oh, Maemi, I'm –"

Pressing the end button, she dropped the phone. Nothing like her best friend screwing her over literally and figuratively in the same night. Well, Sakura screwed Maemi's boyfriend, and she fucked up their friendship for sure. Maemi was angry and upset but no tears would come. But in a strange way she was also relieved. She threw the phone across the room where it made a loud thump when it hit the wall.

"Sis, are you all right? I heard a sound and –" Naruto stopped talking and crossed over to the bed.

Maemi grabbed his hand, pulling him down onto the bed with her. She put her arms around him feeling his skin against hers. He had gotten undressed at some point and was wearing nothing but his usual boxer shorts.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, kissing her neck and feeling her shiver in his arms.

"I just ended my relationship with Shikamaru, but he doesn't know it yet. He took Sakura home with him last night," she answered in a toneless, unemotional voice.

"Are you all right?"

"I will be."

"So you'll be looking for a new job?"

"Uh huh."

They were silent for several minutes, just listening to their breathing as they lay in each other's arms. In a sudden burst of bravery and stupidity, Naruto asked, "Can a touch your breasts?"

"Don't push your luck, pal," Maemi muttered.

It never hurts to ask. Yep. She would be just fine.


	5. Having a Bad Day?

Having a Bad Day?

Maemi awoke early finding herself once again wrapped around her blond baby brother. She had to keep thinking of him that way so she would not give in to temptation. They had managed to wind up in bed with each other nearly every night lately. What the hell was going on? Damn, he was cute when he was asleep. She pressed a kiss to his pouty pink lips resisting the urge to run her hands over his chest. Carefully unwinding herself and rolling away from him, she got off the bed to tiptoe out of the room and leave him sleeping.

Jiraiya was sitting in the living room when his daughter walked through going straight to the computer. He stopped typing on his laptop where he was working on his newest manuscript.

"What's up, Buttercup? You look like hammered shit this morning," he commented bluntly, ignoring her scathing glare. "What's wrong? Why aren't you going to work?"

"I quit. Shikamaru will figure it out. You'll also be happy to know that Shikamaru is no longer my boyfriend," she calmly informed him. Shikamaru could damn well figure that out too. Her phone began to ring and she checked the call ID. Well hell, speak of the devil and he makes an appearance. Her voice was a harsh unpleasant sound as she barked 'hello' into the phone.

"Where the hell are you?" Shikamaru demanded arrogantly. "I'm your boss and your boyfriend and you're supposed to be at work. What the hell – "

"I'm at home. I'm looking for a new job…and a new boyfriend," she added with a growl. She smiled spitefully because she had the distinct honor of being the only woman ever to get the usually lazy, laid back surfer dude to lose his temper.

"A what? Wh-what the hell is going on?" he stammered, his voice sounding much more humble this time.

"Ask Sakura. Hope she was worth it asshole," she snarled, hanging up the phone. A few seconds later her phone was ringing again, and she pushed the ignore button. She finally had to turn her phone off because of all the texts and calls she was getting. Her attention needed to be on the computer to search the job listings.

"If you need someone to talk to, I'm here," Jiraiya offered, not knowing what else to say.

"I know, Dad."

"Maemi?"

"What?"

"Your mother will be coming in tomorrow. You need to go pick her up at the airport," Jiraiya informed her, hastily exiting the room.

Maemi took a deep breath, releasing it noisily. Great. Mom will be so proud when she gets here and learns of recent events.

* * *

"Hey, Blondie! Help me wash my car!" Maemi yelled to Naruto when he poked his head out of the back door.

"Oh, my god," he gasped, watching her lean over the hood of her car in her tiny hot pink bikini. All he could see were her heavy breasts flattening against the hood as she reached across to scrub off dirt. He couldn't get out the door fast enough to help her.

"Here," she said, slapping the big soap filled sponge into his hand and splashing them both with suds. "I need someone tall to reach the roof."

"O-okay," he gulped, following trail of the soap bubbles as they slid down her chest and disappeared in her cleavage.

Maemi was crouching down cleaning the wheel well and hubcap while he was standing beside her cleaning the roof and the windshield. She leaned to dip her sponge into the bucket between them and nearly came face to crotch with him. She had no idea washing a car could be so…stimulating. Standing up quickly, she found herself in his arms. Due to being covered with the slippery bubbles, she slid from his grasp easily. Grabbing the water hose, she turned it on him when he chased after her. His girlish scream made her laugh, but she refused to turn off the hose.

"Maemi, dammit, that's cold!" he yelled, fighting the powerful jet to get to her and grab her. He finally got his arms around her and he hollered again when she sprayed it down his shorts.

"Ow, ow, ow, OW!" she screamed, when he bear hugged her and squeezed her until she let go of the hose. It dropped to the ground and sprayed one more big blast over them when the trigger hit the ground.

"Now, I've got you!" he bellowed, holding onto her as she giggled maniacally and pretended to put up a brave fight.

Maemi stopped moving, resting her cheek on his chest as they both panted for air. Her body shuddered from the jolt of excitement running through her rather than the cold water when she realized how tightly her body was held to his. Her eyes drifted closed when she felt him stroking her hair. She felt so safe and protected at this moment.

"I'll never let you go. I'll always take care of you," he stated in a low voice almost as if he did not want her to hear it.

"Oh, Naruto," she sighed, hugging him briefly. "Help me finish washing the car."

* * *

"Damn men," Maemi grumbled, stopping her car in the arriving passengers' lane at the airport terminal to wait for her turn to pick up her passenger.

Jiraiya had a meeting with his publisher and Naruto had to go to work. Despite having a valid excuse, she was sure her father would have asked her to pick up her mother anyway. Maemi loved her mother; she really did. The woman just had a tendency to make sharp crass remarks that she called blunt honesty but were actually just plain cruel opinions. Her mother particularly loved to harass her father even after all these years. She forced a smile when she saw the gorgeous blond who still looked thirty despite being in her fifties.

"Mama!" she yelled, getting out of the vehicle to run around to her mother.

Tsunade caught her in an awkward embrace. It was always a strange and uncomfortable thing for the women to hug because of their equally enormous breasts. Most of the time they settled on the pretentious air kisses usually reserved for the rich and self-centered. However, today Maemi needed the comforting hug of her mother. She needed the affection and another woman's sympathizing ear in which to bitch and complain about the evils of men and traitorous friends. Her mother was the perfect candidate for that.

"Where's your luggage?" Maemi asked in confusion.

"I'm only in town for a few hours for a layover. I'm on my way to a big business meeting. I'll be back in a few weeks for a longer stay though," she told her daughter while getting into the vehicle after looking it over disdainfully.

Oh, good. So it's going to be a fly by insulting.

"You're still driving this dilapidated rattletrap?" her mother asked, beginning the barrage of abusive remarks.

"Yes." It was a slightly used small SUV. It was new to Maemi and that was good enough for her.

"Are you still working at that awful and pointless job?"

"No."

"Are you still dating _that_ boy?"

"No."

"Really?" her mother asked brightly, her interest in her daughter suddenly increasing.

"He cheated on me," Maemi explained, immediately wishing she had kept it to herself.

"Oh, no big surprise there."

Thanks for the support, Mom.

"How's Naruto?" Tsunade inquired with a big smile on her face.

"He's great. Still training with Dad. Working as a bike messenger. He will start classes again in the fall," she added to wipe that disapproving look off her mother's face.

"Why don't you go back to college? It wouldn't hurt you to take a few classes especially now that you're unemployed," her mother said unable to keep the scorn from her voice.

"It's only temporary. I'm looking for a job. I might take a few online classes from the local university," Maemi told her so she would change subjects.

"How's your father?" she queried with unmasked contempt.

"He's great. Still the same for the most part, but we're getting along better," she excitedly answered. She was happy that she and her father were getting closer, but of course her mother was not.

"Oh, that's nice." Mom code for I don't really give a shit.

Oh, how many hours is this layover?

* * *

Maemi was nearly in tears by the time she delivered her mother back to the airport. She had been so upset during lunch that she had only picked at her food. What the hell had happened to her mother? She honestly did not remember her being this way. Had Tsunade changed because of some event or had she always been like this?

"Mom, Mom, MOTHER!" Maemi yelled interrupting her tirade about the finer points of picking a good candidate for a husband.

"Well, what is it?" Tsunade huffed looking truly offended.

"Mother, when you come back can you please bring my sweet mom with you? I don't know who you are. Please, I need my mom," she begged, the tears falling down her face.

"Maemi, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"I would have told you if you could have refrained from telling me how badly I'm managing my life for more than five minutes. I'll see you in a few weeks," she stated with finality, stopping in the departing passengers lane in front of the proper airline's logo.

"Maemi, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you then."

* * *

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm so damn sick of hearing it!" Maemi screamed to herself in her room. She screamed at the top of her lungs throwing her pillows at the wall. She flopped onto her belly giving in to the tantrum she had been wanting to throw since the airport.

"Maemi, what the hell?" Naruto yelled, coming into her room and barely dodging the porcelain jewelry box that came flying at his head.

That little porcelain ring box had been a gift from her mother that was bought on one of her many business trips. Maemi jumped off the bed and began to search for other breakable presents from foreign locations given to her by her mother. She screamed and fought against him Naruto grabbed her, forcing her to put down the huge crystal carousel horse from London.

"Stop it! STOP IT!" he bellowed, squeezing her until she stopped moving.

Maemi quit struggling because she could barely breathe. She wished her mother had never come at all today if that was how she was going to act. She felt herself being turned and held tightly against Naruto's body. She was so angry when she came in she did not even that he was in the house.

"Maemi," he whispered, holding her head. His blue eyes locked on her brown ones. "Please stop, you're scaring me."

Maemi collapsed into him, letting her tears flow. She felt herself being led to the bed and sat down. Pressing her face to his neck as he held her in arms, she cried. When she finally calmed down, she did not move, choosing to stay in his arms. Her body intermittently shuddered uncontrollably from her powerful sobbing. The last few days had finally taken their toll, and she had completely lost it. She sighed with contentment when she felt his big warm hand moving in large circles across her back. His lips pressed a kiss against her cheek, her forehead, her nose, and her chin. Her phone pinged loudly letting her know that she had just received a text message.

Dammit.

_Wanna come out and play? I'm at the beach waiting. Itachi_

"Do you have plans tonight?" she sniffed, leaning back to look at Naruto.

"Yeah. I'm going over to Hinata's for dinner. Why?" he asked, watching her typing furiously on her phone.

"Just curious," she answered without looking up from her phone. She had texted Itachi back that she would be there in an hour.

Naruto wondered what she would have done if he had said no. As he watched her leave the room he hung his head realizing he would never know what might have happened.

* * *

Maemi found Itachi sitting on a bench staring out over the sand into the blackness of the night. His long black hair was tied back in its usual ponytail, and he was wearing the standard attire of any local male consisting of a t-shirt and shorts. She was wearing a bikini covered up with cut off shorts and a hoodie because it could get chilly at the beach at night.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Itachi asked, taking her by the hand.

"Sure," she answered, allowing him to lead her down to the water's edge.

They walked in silence for a long while, holding hands. Maemi was deep in thought, pondering her suddenly uncertain future. Going back over the events of the last few days only confused her more.

"Are you all right?" Itachi inquired, his gentle voice shattering her thoughts.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, realizing he still held her hand when he squeezed it gently. "I didn't mean to get so lost in thought."

"Anything you want to talk about?" He stopped, turning her to face him.

"No, not really. It's just something I have to work out on my own," she said, hoping he would drop the subject. Yes, she had some very confusing and conflicting feelings to work out.

"Would you consider me a friend? I hope you would," he said, reaching out to touch her cheek.

Maemi felt her pulse immediately speed up while her stomach did somersaults. She never expected such a reaction from a simple touch of his hand. It was very sweet and almost childish yet endearing that he was actually asking to be her friend; not her boyfriend, not a friend with benefits, just a friend.

"Yes, I do. I'd just rather not talk about my problems. I'd rather escape them," she stated with a joyless laugh.

"Let's do that then. Care to go for a swim?" He released her hand and dropped his hand from her face.

Maemi loved the ocean at night. It was like being another planet, in her own separate world. Stripping down to her bikini, she ran into the water. She was surprised when she felt his arm encircle her waist as they dove under the surface of the warm buoyant waves together. A laugh of real joy this time passed her lips when they broke above the surface. Her arms were wrapped around his neck while his were around her waist.

"I want to keep a good hold on you so I won't lose you out here," he told her while holding her close to him.

"I've lived here all of my life just like you. I could find my way back to shore," she assured him.

"But could you find your way back to me?" His grip on her tightened, and he placed his hand along her jaw.

Oh, god! Maemi stared into his dark eyes that shone like silver from the reflection of the moon off the water. She closed her eyes when he leaned toward her to kiss her. The kiss was thoughtful, kind, and gentle just like the man giving it. She was shocked he even had an interest in her.

The Uchiha's were elite society types who viewed everyone as being beneath them. The boys never consorted with the local girls because they were not allowed to. Their parents would actually bring in girls from other high-society families for weekend stays to get to know their sons. That had to be an interesting way to date and convenient to get all the sex they wanted while still maintaining their arrogance and false dignity which was nothing more than overblown pride. Little did they know what kind of activities their sons indulged in with the locals, especially a particular group of thugs they called friends.

After the kiss, Maemi pushed away from him, playfully splashing water in his face. They grabbed and tickled and played in the warm waves until keeping themselves afloat and fighting the current wore them out. They had drifted down quite a bit from their original location so they had a little bit of a walk back to retrieve their clothes. Itachi put his arms around her as they walked to share some semblance of warmth with her.

"I enjoyed tonight, but I've got to get home. I didn't tell anyone where I was going," she said, hurriedly pulling on her clothes.

"Can we go out some time? Like a real date?" he queried, pulling her into his arms for another kiss.

He knew how to make it impossible to say no. "I would love to. Call me."


	6. Our Dirty Little Secret

Our Dirty Little Secret

Maemi felt positively elated as she bounded up the steps toward her room. Checking her watch as she pressed her ear to Naruto's door, she saw that it was just past eleven. She was alone. He would not be home until after midnight and Dad would not be home until sometime tomorrow – probably in the afternoon. Undressing as she entered the bathroom, she decided she had plenty of time for a much needed shower.

Maemi was happily humming away in the shower. She was busy thinking about the handsome black haired boy and her moonlight swim. Turning off the water, she wrapped the towel around her while she was stepping out of the shower. She thought she was still alone and that it was perfectly safe to traipse around however she liked. Still humming to herself with a smile on her face, she pulled the towel from her body to use it dry her hair as she walking to her room.

"Oh, damn!" Naruto blurted causing her to whirl around which gave him a fabulous, unimpeded view of her naked breasts.

"What are you doing here?" she screeched, not even bothering to cover herself up.

"I live here, remember?" he retorted, following her as she hurried to her room.

"That's not what I meant, smart ass," she snapped testily, attempting to close the door in his face but he pushed it open. "Why are you home so early?"

"It is after midnight. Do you think Hinata's parents would let her stay out any later?" he asked, sitting down on her bed.

"Does she turn into a pumpkin?" she sassed back cattily. She had no idea that she had been in the shower that long. She ignored him sitting on her bed staring at her. If he wanted to torture himself, he damn well could.

"Ha ha ha. Good one, Sarcasm Queen." He pulled her down on the bed with him when she attempted to get to her closet.

Maemi held her breath as his eyes gazed deeply into hers. She whimpered when she felt his big hand cover her breast and squeeze. "Naruto, stop," she whispered, allowing her eyes to flutter shut when his thumb stroked over the nipple.

Naruto grabbed her by the neck with his other hand, pulling her forward to kiss her. He felt her whole body stiffen at first, and she tried to push him away. When he pushed his tongue through her lips, he could feel her resistance dissolving. He had just been with Hinata Hyuga, the last great holdout and bastion of virginity in the whole damn town. Horny and frustrated, not expecting to come home to Maemi strolling around naked, he was acting out of temporary insanity caused by overwhelming sexual desire.

"Kids! I'm home!" a very drunk Jiraiya bellowed from downstairs.

"Shit!" Naruto hissed, feeling as if a bucket of ice water had been poured on him. He was off the bed and out of her door in record time.

Maemi ran to the door to close and lock it. Getting dressed in panties and a t-shirt, she turned off the light and lay down on her bed. She had almost given in. For once her foolish drunk father had been a lifesaver.

* * *

"Maemi, are you asleep?" Naruto called at her door.

Maemi closed her eyes trying to ignore him. She had assumed was long asleep by now. The last hour had slowly ticked by as she stared at the ceiling. Yep, it was still there – and so was the tiny spider spinning a web in the corner. She hoped if she stayed quiet he would think she was asleep and go away.

"There's no way you're asleep after what just happened. Let me in," he said sharply. "I want to talk to you."

Maemi walked over to the door, unlocking it then getting back into the bed. She rolled up tightly in the sheet, making a cocoon for herself as he walked into her room. Her pulse quickened and her body began to tremble as he lay down on the bed next to her. She pulled away from him when tried to unwrap the sheet from her body.

"Would you stop?" she growled, jerking away from him. She gasped when he rolled her over on her back, grabbed the sheet, and ripped it from her body. Sitting there in her t-shirt and panties, she groped at her flimsy protection to get it back from him.

Naruto put out his hand to stop her, placing it right over her breast.

"Pervert!" she yelled, kicking at him, but he caught her foot. She cried out when he slammed her foot down on the bed then lay down on top of her to hold her down with his body. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I just wanted to talk to you, but if you want to turn this into something else be my guest," he snarled at her, pulling his lip back from his canine teeth.

"Are you going to bite me?" She stopped writhing underneath him when she felt his hardened member lying against her womanhood. Oh, god!

"Maybe. Want me to?" He licked her from her collar bone to beneath her ear lobe instead. He smiled lecherously when she shivered. She liked that, huh? Doing it again, he nipped her neck as well making her inhale sharply.

Maemi felt hot and bothered and just plain wrong. Damn him. He was seducing her in no uncertain terms. She yelled out his name when he pushed her legs apart, settling himself between them with his rigid manhood pressed against her body.

Naruto moved his hips, rubbing himself against her. He watched her face as she bit her lower lip and closed her eyes.

"One of these days you'll want me just as much as I want you," he whispered, dry humping her until he could feel her wetness seeping though both layers of material separating them.

Maemi had not indulged in something like this since she was sixteen years old. She slid her arms around his shoulders, pressing her lips to his thick muscular neck. It's just a little mutual masturbation; no big deal. They were just helping each other out with a bad bout of sexual frustration. She knew she could definitely use the emotional release. Her eyes opened to look at his face. His eyes were closed and he almost appeared to be in pain.

"Naruto, lay down next to me," she ordered gently, sliding her hand down his chest.

"Oh, Maemi," he moaned when she slid her fingers beneath the waistband of his underwear. He cried out her name again when her fingers enclosed his stiff throbbing member and began to stroke him. His mouth sought her breast, licking the nipple to a rigid peak before he covered it with his mouth.

"Naruto, please," she begged him, pushing her underwear off so he could touch her. Her fingers tangled themselves into his hair as he slid one finger into her while sucking harder on her nipple. She thrust her hips as him with a moan and he added a second finger.

Naruto raised his mouth to hers, kissing her hard when he pushed the third finger into her wet and yearning body. His tongue slid into her mouth, touching hers before retreating. He slid his searching tongue between her lips again then continued the movement, mimicking the movements of his hand in and out of her. Pressing his thumb against the most sensitive part of her, he thought she was going to jump right out of his arms. There was tightness building deep within him from the stroking of her hand.

Maemi closed her eyes, thrusting her hips at his hand while ribbons of pleasure unfurled and ran throughout her body. She tightened her grip on him as she neared orgasm, stroking him harder. Placing her lips against his chest, she stifled her moans of ecstasy into vulnerable whimpers of lusty pleasure. This was more satisfying than sex with Shikamaru ever had been even when he was sober.

"Maemi," Naruto whined, kissing her neck as his member throbbed and twitched in her hand before he fired off the first shot then he could not stop. He helplessly thrust himself into her palm, shoving his fingers into her more forcefully and rubbing her harder to bring her to an orgasm.

"Oh, baby," she moaned, grabbing his face and pressing her lips to his as she came undone with a body wracking climax. She held him tightly, pulling his face into her neck as she convulsed with ecstasy under his hand. Lying back on the bed, she covered her face with her hand. "Oh, god."

"Maemi, don't. Please don't regret it," he begged, moving her hand from her face. He pressed tender kisses over her entire face and was starting on her neck when she stopped him.

"Baby, just hold me," she said, pulling his head against her big breasts while she enclosed his body with her legs. Closing her eyes, she willed the tears not to fall. How could she have done that?

"I love you," he whispered, embracing her tenderly with his arms around her waist.

"I love you too," she replied. She did. With all her heart but as a brother. Damn. "I might have a boyfriend. I just started talking to someone."

"Do you want to be with him?" he asked, jealousy making his stomach tighten. But what about Hinata? He had someone else.

"I'm not sure yet. We haven't gone out on a date yet or anything. But I want to. I want to get to know him better," Maemi said, running her fingers through his soft blond hair.

"You'll always have me. I'm not going anywhere," he assured her, nuzzling into her cleavage.

Maemi giggled; she could not help it. Not only did he tickle her but he looked like he was trying to make a nest or something. "This will be our secret right?"

"Yeah. Whatever you say, Sis," Naruto rejoined with a sharp edge to his voice. He immediately regretted it when he felt her whole body stiffen in his arms.

"This can never happen again."

Naruto refused to acknowledge that statement. He pretended to be asleep. He could have someone else and she could have someone else, but they would ALWAYS have each other.

* * *

"Hey, Maemi!" Jiraiya yelled, finding his daughter sitting in the window seat with tears running down her face. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"What? What do you mean?" she asked, touching her face when he continued to stare at her. She looked at the tears on her fingers and impatiently wiped them away on her jeans. She had no idea she had been crying. "I'm all right. It's just been tough the last few days. You know with Shika, my job, mom…everything."

Maemi purposely omitted the sexual assault. She had not told her father or Naruto about that. Staring out of the window, her eyes fixated on the squirrels running up and down the big oak tree in their front yard. "Daddy?"

Jiraiya sat down at her feet when she called him that. There was something tearing her apart inside. "What is it?"

"Have you ever done something in the heat of the moment that you later regretted? Like something sexual to drown your pain? Have you used someone?" she inquired without looking at him.

Jiraiya would have laughed if the emotional pain were not evident on her face. Had she forgotten who she was talking to? He had done more stupid things to assuage his emotional hurts than he cared to think about it. Selfish, hurtful acts had been committed that caused an emotional fall out that he never saw coming. That is why her mother is no longer his wife and he has such a horrible reputation as an irredeemable reprobate.

"I might have used an innocent person for my own sexual gratification," she admitted, closing her eyes and leaning her head against the wall.

"Honey, if it's a boy your age, he was hardly a helpless victim. He was mostly likely a willing instigator. If you think about it real hard, you'll realize he actually took advantage of you in weak moment. Who was it?" he asked, watching her face flood with color until it looked like she was holding her breath. Oh, no! It can't be. He smiled.

"What in the hell are you grinning about?" She glared at him because of the ridiculous grin on his face; obviously he had guessed who she was talking about.

Of course he was happy. Jiraiya had been trying to throw her in the direction of his star pupil for years. Damn stubborn girl. The boy was not really her brother so he never understood why she insisted on making that distinction and not crossing that self-set boundary.

"Dammit, Dad! You pervert from hell! That's why I told you it was a bad idea for him to live here," Maemi grumbled getting up to walk away.

"Honey, calm down. You haven't done anything wrong. Quit making all these self-imposed rules that you feel like you have to live by," he told her, laughing lightly with relief. She had scared the hell out of him for a moment there. He thought something was seriously wrong.

"Maybe I do because I feel like I need them. I don't want to be like a horny bitch dog running around town, screwing everything with a dick," she snapped caustically, turning before she had to see the expression of hurt and dejection on her father's face. Walking away, she mulled over her two worst fears in life: becoming like father and becoming like her mother.

* * *

For the next several days, the two men kept a wide berth around her. Maemi avoided being at the house as much as possible and spent most of the time looking for a job the old fashioned way by going door to door. She was not sure why she was so angry and upset; she just was. It was her right as a woman dammit and she was invoking it. She would pout and be angry as long as she pleased. So far she had not heard anything from Itachi Uchiha which also aggravated her. She was not willing to contact him because of his parents. If he pursued her that would be fine, but she refused to allow herself to be humiliated by the heads of the Uchiha Clan.

One evening when she was preparing dinner, Naruto dared to enter the kitchen and talk to her. "Are we okay?"

"Yeah, baby, we're fine," she answered without looking at him.

At least she was leaving off the brother part. Naruto moved closer to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. He was shocked and relieved when she turned and buried her face against his chest after sliding her arms around his waist. It felt great to have her in his arms.

Maemi could no longer stand the tension between the members of her unusual and definitely untraditional family. She decided to stop hating herself for doing something perfectly understandable considering the circumstances. It was not the end of the world. Her phone went off as she looked up at Naruto and smiled.

"I'll always love you and be here for you," Naruto told her, kissing her forehead.

"Yeah, I know. Me too," she returned, hugging him tightly.

Grabbing her phone, she read the text: _How about that date, pretty girl? Itachi_

Maemi smiled. Yeah – things were definitely looking up in her world.


	7. My Brother, My Lover

My Brother, My Lover

"You're going out on a date with Itachi Uchiha?" Naruto asked, watching her get ready while he lay comfortably on her bed with his hands behind his head.

"Yes," she answered, rifling through her closet for the third time for something to wear.

"Where are you going?" Looking her over from head to toe since she had only gotten as far as putting on her bra and panties. He hated he had missed that part.

"I'm not sure. He just said to dress nicely but comfortably. So no cut off shorts and t-shirts. A dress maybe?" She held up a red dress with a plunging neckline.

"Uh, no. What about that blue one?" he inquired pointing to the long sleeved dress with a turtleneck collar.

"It's ninety degrees outside. That's a winter dress I haven't worn it in six years," she muttered, frowning at the hideous dress.

"Why do still have it?"

"I honestly don't know. I guess I'll clean my closet out on Monday."

"Still no word about a job?" he asked, shaking his head at her new selection of a short, tight green dress that looked like a small rectangle of material.

"No. Nothing. This?" Maemi held up the demure, knee length dress of gold colored material with a thin see through fabric of chocolate brown over the top.

"It makes your eyes look like they're glowing. You're beautiful," Naruto complimented, shamelessly observing her as she pulled the dress over her head. He could not help but smile as he watched her rearrange her big breasts. "Oh, yes, show off the girls. You got 'em, you might as well flaunt 'em."

"Thanks, you little degenerate. I suppose you learned those special lessons from my father better than I thought," she muttered, turning to look at him when she felt him in close proximity behind her.

"I'll be waiting for you when you get home."

Was that a threat or a promise?

* * *

Maemi met Itachi at the mall where they left her car to drive to the next city. He had made reservations for them at a fancy restaurant where the waiters wore all black except for the white shirt underneath their uniforms and long aprons that nearly touched the floor. There was a definitive tense and uptight air about the place born from the arrogance of not only the patrons but the wait staff as well. Maemi felt like a pariah as even the waiter looked at her with a superior, haughty attitude as if she was not worthy for him to be her servant for the evening. The food they served was absolutely gorgeous. It would have rivaled art in some of the most famous galleries in the world. However, there was only about a tablespoon of everything and most of it tasted like cardboard. After dinner, they were off to the movies.

Maemi did not know they had movie theaters just for wealthy, elitists until he took her to one. Instead of the normal seats, they had plush leather couches with tables sitting in front of them. They served wine and caviar instead of sodas and popcorn.

'Are you freaking kidding me?' Maemi thought to herself as she stared at the pile of black fish eggs in the stemmed crystal dish.

"Don't you want some?" Itachi inquired, heaping a mound of the ebony globules onto a toast point.

"I'm full from dinner," she lied, holding her belly. However, the wine would be nice so she accepted the glass he handed her.

What the hell was she doing here? This was not her world. Itachi was not doing this to embarrass her; she was sure of that because it just was not his style, plain and simple. He was born rich and had always had money. These things had always been part of his life like ramen noodles and watching movies on her couch at home had always been a part of her life. She was beginning to wonder if their worlds were just too different to be able to bridge the gap and form a relationship. Maybe his parents had a valid point in conducting their family affairs the way they did.

When the lights went off, Itachi edged closer to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. About thirty minutes into the movie he was holding her hand. Maemi could not help but notice what a smooth operator he was and pondered where his hands might wander to next. Shockingly enough, holding her hand was as far as it went.

"You didn't enjoy this evening did you?" Itachi asked to break the uncomfortable silence on the way back home.

"No. I didn't. I'm sorry," she apologized, reaching over to touch his arm. She gasped when his hand moved from the gearshift to rest on her knee. The content little smile that played at the edges of his lips confused her. "Is something funny? Did I miss something?"

"No. I'm just glad you're not like other girls. I'm actually quite happy you're totally unimpressed with all of that. I hate that crap. That's what most girls expect on every date with me or my brother," he explained.

As stupid as it sounds, it had honestly never occurred to her that they might dislike the so called charmed life they were trapped in. There were certain expectations and desires that everyone pressed on them and not just their parents.

"Next time we'll go somewhere different," he assured her, squeezing her knee gently.

Maemi felt her pulse speed up and wondered if he could hear her heart beating because it was deafening in her ears. "Next time?" she inquired, laying her hand over his.

"Well, yeah, maybe I was assuming too much –"

"Oh, no, that's not it. I would definitely like for there to be a next time."

* * *

"How was the date?" Naruto's voice emanated from the dark.

Maemi jumped and nearly screamed but slammed her hand over her mouth to keep from doing so. It sounded like he was on her bed. Carefully traversing the distance between her door and her bedside table, she flipped on the light. She gasped and jumped back when she saw him sitting up in her bed; his tanned and muscled torso was naked and she hoped he was not naked below where the sheet and blanket had been pulled over him.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" she hissed, glowering at him. "Why were you waiting in the dark like some stalker?"

Naruto watched her cross the room to her dresser and pull out a t-shirt. Despite the fact that she turned her back on him, he continued to watch her as she undressed right in front of him down to her panties then put on the t-shirt before turning around.

"How was the date?" he repeated, refusing to answer her questions.

"It was okay. He took me to dinner at one of those hoity toity overpriced restaurants. I'm starving. Want to come downstairs with me?" she inquired receiving a silent glare. "I'll cook you some ramen," she bribed shamelessly with a smile on her face. She stuck out her hand and pulled him from the bed. A giggle escaped her when she saw the boxer shorts he was wearing; they were bright orange with a big black swirl on the back that covered his behind.

"Where in the hell did you get those hideous things?" she chuckled, yelping when he slapped her on the rump smartly making a loud pop that cut through the quiet atmosphere in the house.

"Don't laugh. They're a gift from Hinata," he mumbled, following her to the kitchen.

"I'm shocked her parents would allow her to give you such an intimate gift," she remarked, pulling the familiar rectangular packages from the cabinet. "Want anything extra in them?"

"No. Not tonight," he answered, staring at her long tanned legs. "So where exactly did you go?"

"_Jean Baptiste's_ was the name of the restaurant and we went to a movie as well. _The Golden Cinema_ I think was the name of it," she replied offhandedly while filling the pot with water.

"Aren't those in the next city? I believe you have to be above a certain income level to even step inside that theater," he complained unapologetically. "Don't you want to date someone who's not ashamed to be seen with you?"

"It's not that. It's just – "

"Just what? They're not like us. They're not our kind of people."

"Is it that? Or is it because he's not you?" she questioned him pointedly, turning her full attention to him.

"How in the hell you do think you can ever have a real relationship with him?" he shot back, evading her question.

"Me? You have a lot of nerve talking to me about real relationships," she growled, moving toward him with the metal spoon in her hand. "What about you and Princess Hyuga? How many times have you two broken up and made up in the past five years? Five years! Shouldn't you have proposed to her or something by now? As if you would actually be able to marry her! Her father would never let that happen!"

"He might! We've even been talking about it. Why do you think I've been going over there to dinner so much?" she asked, his face turning pink as his anger escalated.

"How the hell should I know? I know it wasn't for the sex though. Have you even been able to feel her up yet? She would probably faint and die if you ever showed her that big cock of yours much less if she touched it!" Maemi yelled at him, swinging the spoon extremely close to his head in her mounting fury.

Naruto grabbed the irate, screaming Maemi and crushed his lips against hers. It was a flurry of tongues and scraping of teeth as he struggled to keep her under his control. She shoved him away and raised the spoon threateningly. The timer on the stove went off and it was like the ringing of the bell at the end of a boxing round. Maemi dropped her arm and went to the stove to tend to the noodles. Bringing the whole pot and two pairs of chopsticks to the table, she beckoned for her verbal sparring partner to sit down and eat with her. They ate in a grouchy, stubborn silence, neither one willing to say a word; especially not an apology.

Maemi went to the sink to get a glass of water. While she was standing there drinking, Naruto walked up behind her and purposely pushed her. She grunted as the cold liquid sloshed out of the glass and spilled down the front of her white t-shirt, making it instantly go transparent.

"Oops, sorry," he insincerely snapped, waiting for her to turn around. "Oh, shit!"

Maemi grabbed the sprayer and flipped on the cold water aiming it straight at the front of his boxer shorts. Shrieking like a horror movie queen, he fought to grab the sprayer from her hands shooting water all over the both of them and the kitchen. Maemi finally let it go and threw it behind her when they were both soaked down. She turned off the water and ran upstairs to the bathroom. Her body was shivering from being cold so she turned on the hot water in the shower to warm herself up with a quick soak under the water. She had just gotten fully immersed in the steaming hot water when she heard the bathroom door open.

"Naruto! What the hell!" she screamed, when he opened the clear glass door and walked in like he belonged there.

"I'm cold too because of you. Thanks for leaving me behind to clean up the mess. Maybe we could warm each other up," he seductively murmured sliding his arms around her.

Maemi tried to back away but being trapped in the shower with him, her options were as limited as her space. She gasped when he pressed his lips against hers forcefully. He encircled her waist with his arms as he deepened the kiss and thrust his tongue into her mouth. Pushing him away and holding him at arm's length, she glared at him.

"No! I won't do it. I can't!" she yelled, her brown eyes locking on his incredible blue ones.

"Every family has secrets. This will be ours," he said, pushing her arms up and off his chest to draw her into him.

Maemi closed her eyes pressing her face against his neck as the hot water streamed over both of them. At that moment, she gave in. She wanted the closeness and liked the way his body felt against hers. Willingly accepting his intense kiss, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed him against the wall.

"Maemi," he gasped, grabbing her head and kissing her fervently.

The kiss evolved into a battle of tongues and a fight for dominance. Grabbing her wrists, Naruto pressed them against the tile shower wall while he covered her neck and chest with kisses. This time he would not let her go.

Maemi cried out with pleasure when he lowered his head to her nipple and sucked it hard. She hooked her leg around his hip and drew him into her to rub against him.

"Mmmm, you big tease," he growled in her ear, nipping her earlobe.

"Who's teasing?" she asked, pushing herself against him.

Naruto thrust upward, sliding into her which surprised the both of them. He had expected to rub against her belly, not suddenly be buried within her.

"Oh, Naruto!" she cried out when he started moving his hips. Closing her eyes tightly, she concentrated on the wonderful sensations he was pushing through her body with each strong thrust. She tilted her head back to almost howl with pleasure as he continued to shove himself into her with powerful movements of his hips. He was literally nailing her to the wall producing deep guttural growls of satisfaction in his throat.

"Maemi, I'm going to come but I want you to first. Please," he begged, licking her neck and biting her when she shoved her hips at him because of the jolt of ecstasy it sent through him.

It was building; deep and heavy within her belly she could feel the physical release coiling like a spring. His thrusts got shorter and faster driving her to that edge of carnal bliss causing her to quickly go over with a cry of his name. With a few more plunges deep inside of her, he discharged everything he had been holding back.

Maemi kept her eyes closed while he gently lowered her wrists down to her sides. She pressed her face to his neck, letting the tears fall as he held her. Guilt and regret filled her. How could she do allow this to happen?

"Don't cry for me. I knew what I was doing. Please, don't do this," he begged her, kissing her cheek. "I'm not some little kid and you're not sexually abusing me by any stretch of the imagination. Just let it go."

"But what about the other people in our lives?" she inquired, referring to Hinata and Itachi.

"Well, neither one of us is married right? Hell, you've only had one date. Calm down, would you? Everything will be fine," he assured her, kissing her strongly and passionately.

The water had started to cool down, and they took that as their hint to get out of the shower. Maemi wrapped a towel around her body and went to her room with Naruto right behind her.

"I guess you think this entitles you to stay the night?" she asked with a cold edge to her voice.

"No. Is it wrong to want to be with you?" he retorted.

She honestly did not know if it was wrong or not her brain was so addled. Maemi did not know what the hell to think. Confusion reigned supreme in her life and her mind lately. She lay down in the bed holding back the covers for him as a silent invitation. She closed her eyes and did not even protest when he put his arms around her and molded his warm body to hers. Within minutes they were both asleep.


	8. O is for OMIGOD!

O is for OMIGOD!

"Would someone care to tell me just what the hell goes on in my house when I'm not here?" Jiraiya asked while standing in her bedroom doorway the next morning.

Maemi did not move because she was afraid if she did she would reveal more to her father than last night's indiscretion. She felt Naruto's hand latched firmly onto her breast and sighed noisily. Damn. They had been caught red handed in the most literal sense of the phrase.

"You're not happy?" she inquired with a biting sarcastic tone to her voice.

"Should I be?"

"I thought you would be. Isn't this what you wanted?"

"Well, I, uh, um, maybe, uh…" he stumbled verbally, searching for the right words.

"Yeah, you don't know what the hell you want either do you, old man? Why do you keep coming into the room while I'm sleeping? Ever heard of knocking you damned old pervert?" she asked, patting Naruto's hand when he began to stir around behind her. "Wake up, Blondie. We're busted."

"What? Can't I have just five more minutes?" he whined, kissing her bare shoulder.

"Hey, boy, what are you doing in bed with my baby girl?" Jiraiya asked in a low menacing voice like that of a serial killer.

"Really, Dad?" she moaned, covering her face when she felt Naruto's whole body go rigid with fear. It started out as a gesture to cover her embarrassment then it was to cover her smile. Next, she started to giggle. The situation was too stupid and humiliating for her to not laugh.

"I would get up but I'm naked," Naruto said as if that would help the situation.

Maemi howled with laughter after the unnecessary admission from her bed partner and, well, lover. Tears were flowing from her eyes while she silently prayed for the powers that be to dissolve her and take her away right now.

"Oh, my god, boy! You've driven her crazy!" Jiraiya yelled.

"Wouldn't nuts be a more appropriate term?" Maemi interjected with a giggle.

"MAEMI!" they hollered in unified horror and offence. Good for her. She managed to shock the perverts.

"Dad! Get out!" she yelled, throwing a pillow at him.

"Oooooh, beware of the fluffy soft projectiles. I'm so scared," he taunted receiving a hard smack to the face from a pillow hurled with surprising force from the blond next to her. "Ow! Hey! That one actually did hurt. All right, I can take a hint. Be downstairs in thirty minutes."

* * *

After surviving the morning awkward moment, Maemi spent the day with her father shopping at the mall in the city. When they returned home she went straight to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner.

Maemi was laughing at the joke her father told her when her eyes landed on Naruto coming down the stairs. She was standing at the stove cooking and her father was sitting at the counter talking to her. An approving smile spread across her face when she saw Naruto was actually somewhat dressed up wearing nicer jeans than usual and a button down shirt the same shade of blue as his eyes. He had even tamed his wild spikes into a more subdued style. She already knew where he was going and who he was going to be with.

"Ooooh, hey sexy," she cooed, straightening his collar. "Who's the lucky lady tonight?"

"Hinata. I'm having dinner at her parents' house," he responded nervously, pulling at the collar. "Do I really look okay?"

"You look great," she complimented, readjusting his collar. "Didn't you just have dinner over there last weekend?"

"Yeah, but this time I have something special to ask her," he said excitedly.

Maemi felt as if a knife had been stabbed into her gut. _Something special to ask her?_ Surely he is not going to propose. That would be an epically bad idea.

"Have fun, boy, but not too much fun. Unless you have condoms," Jiraiya helpfully added.

"Oh, dear god, Dad," Maemi muttered, punching him in the arm. "See ya later, kiddo. Have fun."

"Bye, Mae-Mae," he said, kissing her on the cheek and blushing violently. He walked out the door before Jiraiya could say anything else mortifying.

"What are you going to do tonight?" her father asked her.

"I think I'll just read a while then go to sleep. You?" She leaned against the counter wondering what kind of disaster Naruto was about to cause for himself.

"Old lady," Jiraiya teased. "I'm meeting Kakashi and Iruka for a few drinks."

"Two perverts and a nice guy walk into a bar…sounds like the beginning of a bad joke," she giggled.

Poor Iruka. He was a cute, smart, soft spoken school teacher. It was a mystery to her how the man had not died of embarrassment when out with them. She wondered why he hung around her father and his equally perverted one eyed friend. Kakashi - for the man to look like a freaking pirate complete with eye patch, he sure knew how to get the attention of the ladies which never ceased to amaze her.

"Well, have fun. Call a cab if you get too plastered. I'll pay for it if I have to," she told him.

"Sure, mini Mom. Don't wait up," he responded, walking back out the door.

"Well, hell. I suppose this dinner is for tomorrow," she mumbled, staring down into the big pot of stew.

* * *

Ah, alone at last. Maemi ran upstairs to her room throwing herself onto her bed and wiggling around on the cool crisp sheets like a dog trying to find its sweet spot. She found it and nestled in, releasing a big sigh of contentment. Time to just relax. She grabbed the novel she had just bought at the bookstore and began reading.

Maemi had just finished the tenth chapter of her novel when a light tapping sounded at her door. It could only be one person so she bid him to come in. Her breath halted when she saw the tears running down his face. Opening her arms for him, she gladly pulled him close when sat down beside her and leaned into her waiting arms.

"What happened?" she asked, using the sheet to wipe away his tears. She had an idea of what happened but knew he needed to say it to get it off of his chest. Her heart hurt for him because he was so broken and humiliated.

"Her father told me to never come there again. He said a lot of other nasty things like how I'm unworthy and she can do so much better," he sniffed, pressing his hot face against her neck.

Never before had Hinata's father gotten personally involved and ended the relationship. Hinata had always been the one to break up before; even if it was at her father's request. This was not good. Closing her eyes, Maemi slowly rocked him back and forth as if he were a small child she was comforting. She felt him lift his head from her shoulder and press a kiss to her cheek.

"Thank you for always being here for me," he murmured, kissing her cheek again but at the corner of her lips.

"I'll always be here for you. That's what sisters do," she rejoined, turning her head in an attempt to kiss his cheek but it positioned her perfectly for him to plant a kiss right on her lips. The kiss felt desperate and longing like he was seeking comfort for his wounded heart. She could not bear pushing him away and adding to his rejection.

"I love you, Sis," he whispered after breaking the kiss. His eyes met and held hers, pleading with her silently.

"Lay down. Close your eyes," she ordered him, flipping off her light.

Maemi felt like her whole body was tingling as she lay down next to him on her side facing him. She could feel his long, rigid member pressed against her belly when she held him against her. She bit her lower lip when a sensation of heat and heaviness blossomed in her belly. She puckered her lips and kissed his chest, sliding her hands down his back.

"Wh-what are you d-doing?" Naruto stuttered, trembling beneath her tender touch. Oh, god! He could not believe she was doing this. She was coming on to him first.

"I'm comforting you. I'll take your pain away the best way I know how," she whispered to him, moving up to kiss his lips.

"Are you sure about doing this?" he asked, pushing her back.

"You need me don't you? My kiss." She paused, kissing his lips. "My touch." She slid her hands over his brawny chest and arms. "Me," she added, rubbing her hand over the hardness in his tight jeans. "I just wanted you to be my little brother like we were raised, but it seems like you need more from me."

Maemi unfastened the buttons on his blue shirt, pushing it over his broad shoulders. Her hands slid over his taut, tanned pectorals while her lips kissed and nipped his sensitive neck. A burst of arousal would flow through her body each time he gasped or whispered her name. Tonight he was not her little brother; he was just a man – a handsome blond man in her arms who she was about to make love to. She moaned when his lips pressed against hers for a forbidden kiss that tasted oh so sweet.

"Naruto," she moaned, pulling at the button and zipper on his jeans. Pushing him over on his back, she took them off leaving him naked before her.

"Take this off," he begged, pulling at her t-shirt.

"Just leave it for a minute. Lay still," she ordered, pushing his hand down to the bed. She gently pressed her lips to his, holding her hand against his jawline. Her fingers could feel his jaw muscles spastically working beneath her fingers. She traced his lips soft pink lips with her tongue then kissed his pouty bottom lip, sucking on it ever so slightly as she held it between her lips. His moan made her shiver because of the sudden burst of arousal it caused within her. She slid her tongue between his lips, stroking his teasingly.

"Maemi," he sighed when she began pressing small kisses followed by a lick and a nip down his neck. "Wh-what are –"

"Just shut up and enjoy it," she growled moving lower. Over his chest, down his belly, teasing him with her lips, teeth, and tongue all the way. She felt his fingers twisting into her hair as she got closer to a hard, pulsating part of his anatomy. Her tongue licked across the velvety head and he moaned loudly, pulling her hair slightly. She ran her tongue all the way around it before enclosing it with her mouth.

"Oh, Maemi," Naruto groaned, arching his back to push into her mouth as she slowly took him in.

Maemi carefully worked her way down until her nose was tickled by his soft curly hairs and the head was buried deep in her throat. She moaned when his fingers dug into her shoulders as she slid back up his full length then down again. Sucking gently and adding her hand behind the strokes of her mouth, she began to drive him wild. Each moan, whimper, and gasp that brought him closer to orgasm aroused her more and more. Soon she could feel the wetness had seeped through her panties and was trickling down her thighs. Her belly ached from the excitement building deep within her. She wanted him.

"Baby, I can't finish you out this way. I need you too much," she panted, ripping off her t-shirt and underwear. She impaled herself on his erect member so violently it made them both cry out with pleasure.

"Oh, god, Maemi, you're going to kill me," he huffed as she rode him hard like she was punishing him for something. For getting her too excited maybe? He would be willing to undergo this kind of beating any day, any time. When she surrendered herself to him, she did it in a big way.

Maemi rode him with reckless abandon, crying out his name when she would push him a little too deep and feel a stabbing pain as he contacted her womb. But that pain would turn into an astronomical pleasure as it radiated from the very center of her being.

Naruto sat up, holding her against him when he exploded within her while thrusting his hips up at her to totally unload deep inside of her. He pulled her tightly against him, grinding into her to make her climax.

Maemi bit her lower lip rotating her hips in a circular motion. She raked her fingers through his hair, panting rhythmically until the dam of ecstasy within her opened and flowed forth with unimaginable bliss leaving her to quake and jerk her hips spastically as she experienced many smaller yet still satisfying orgasms.

"Oh, good god woman," he wheezed, holding her as she trembled. "I had no idea…"

"Feel better, baby?"

"Oh, hell, yeah."


	9. Take Me Home

Take Me Home

Maemi was in the kitchen when her phone rang. She did not recognize the number, but answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Maemi." Jiraiya calmly stated her name. There was something wrong. His voice was too subdued and she could hear a lot of people talking and phones ringing in the background.

"Daddy? What's wrong? Where are you?" she asked, gripping her phone so tightly her fingers ached.

"Maemi, I'm in jail. I need you to come bail me out," he said with a tranquility that she did not know he was capable of.

"All right, Dad. I'll be there soon," she responded, taking a deep breath. Arrested? What the hell did he do? Her feet felt like leaden bricks as she hauled herself upstairs to change clothes. Her blond bed buddy was just waking up when she entered the room.

"Why are you upset this time?" he inquired, wiping the sleep out of his azure blue eyes.

"Jiraiya's in jail. Let's go get him," she said, pulling on a pair of jeans and changing her t-shirt. Humiliation was beginning to overtake her; she could not even bring herself to call him Dad. What was she going to do with her father?

* * *

"Thank you, sweetheart. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I'll pay you back as soon as we get home," Jiraiya nervously rattled while she completed the paperwork for his release from jail.

"Whatever," she muttered, signing her name with so much pressure on the paper she nearly cut through it. Public intoxication and lewd behavior; why did those charges not surprise her? He finally got busted for things he had been doing for years. What the hell was he thinking hitting on the wife of the Chief of Police? Epic dumbass.

Maemi was seriously considering backing her bags and moving. Her father's indiscretions were becoming more than she could handle. Instead of getting better, he was only getting worse. A hand grasped hers, squeezing tightly. She looked over to see the owner of that hand was Naruto. He could be so sweet. Her eyes lowered to the ground, and she felt like crying but she refused to shame herself any further by giving in to the tears.

"I'll drive," Naruto offered, taking the keys from her shaking hand. He could see that she was in no shape to drive because she could not even get the key in the lock from her excessive trembling.

Maemi's phone rang and she answered it.

"Is this Maemi?" the disturbingly cheerful woman asked her.

"Yes," she replied with an exasperated sigh.

"This is Uruchi Uchiha. You had applied for a job at our bakery, and I was calling to see if you were still interested," the woman explained.

Damn. She had totally forgotten about applying there. Well, considering her other prospects were nonexistent, Maemi decided she might as well give it a shot.

"Of course. What time would you like for me to come for an interview?"

"How about three this afternoon?"

"I will see you then. Thank you."

"What was that all about?" Naruto nosily asked, meeting her gaze in the rearview mirror as she settled into the backseat.

"I have a job interview this afternoon," she answered, shifting her eyes to stare out of the window.

"That's good," he responded wondering why she was not happier about it.

"It's at the Uchiha bakery," she added almost feeling his eyes burning a hole into her.

"That's bad," he rejoined, his voice low and definitely less than pleased.

Jiraiya stayed quiet during the whole exchange. He knew how Naruto felt about the Uchiha's, Sasuke in particular. That irritating, self-centered kid had started out being Naruto's friend and even his idol. Then the boy became his worst enemy and the very bane of his existence. It is troubling what a fine line there is between love and hate. He thought about his beautiful ex-wife and considered how he had shoved her across that very line with his own hands. Now he was destroying his own daughter. He seemed driven to devastate everyone he ever loved.

The ride back home was a distressingly silent one. Once at the house, Jiraiya went to his room to get some much needed sleep. Maemi went to her room with a worried Naruto right on her heels. Without a word, he lay down next to her placing his arm around her waist to hold her.

"Don't go for that job interview," Naruto told her, attempting to hold on to her when she sat up.

"Don't tell me what to do," she snapped angrily.

Naruto was not smart enough to keep his mouth shut. Like most men, he did not understand the intricate and downright annoying way a woman's mind works. Opening his mouth, he quickly dug the the hole deeper and commenced to start pushing her in the direction he did not want her to go.

"I forbid you to go to that interview," he stated stubbornly, standing up on the opposite side of the bed to face off with her.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" She glared at him, shaking her head in disbelief. "Who do you think you are?"

"I'm your brother," he dared to declare.

"The hell you say," she retorted, putting her hands on her hips. "You lost the right to claim that when you kept screwing me."

"What the hell was last night?" he demanded, walking around the bed toward her. He gaped in disbelief when she hopped on the bed and ran across before he could reach her.

"A mistake apparently. Get out," she ordered, pointing toward the door.

"Don't go, Maemi. We'll all regret it."

"Get out!"

* * *

Maemi walked out of the little bakery with a smile on her face. She was officially employed again. Her phone beeped at her warning her of text message.

_There's a party tonight at the beach. Wanna come? Itachi_

Maemi texted back an affirmative hearing a sound like a bird chirping seconds after she hit send. Looking around, she tried to find the source of the sound.

_You have a reason to celebrate_ read the next text.

_How do you know that?_ She texted back, hearing the chirping again.

Itachi appeared from the alleyway in front of her between the health foods store and a shoe shop. He tucked his phone in his pocket as he strolled across the street toward her.

"Well, hello there stranger. Where have you been?" she asked, smiling broadly at him. She was unable to hide her astonishment when he walked right up to her and kissed her on the lips. It was a short, innocent kiss reserved for greeting a close friend.

They were standing in the middle of Uchiha City; the nickname given to the downtown area lined with shops and restaurants all owned by members of the Uchiha clan. The main street led to the gated neighborhood where only Uchiha family members lived. They practically owned the town and had carved out a corner of it just for themselves alone. They were the strangest and most self-centered family ever. It was a long running joke among other residents that they were inbreeders because they were so protective of their family name and all of their assets.

"I know it's early, but would like to get something to eat," he inquired.

Maemi nodded. She had skipped lunch, choosing to stay locked in her room until it was time to leave for her interview. Her stomach growled as if on cue making both of them laugh. Taking his hand that he held out for her, he led her to the deli owned by one of his many uncles. She inhaled her Rueben sandwich while he talked about…something. Unfortunately she was not really listening because her mind was too busy being centered on her own troubles.

"Did you hear me?" he asked, touching her arm gently when he saw the faraway look in her eyes.

"Hm?" she grunted, stuffing the last bite of her sandwich in her mouth.

"What's wrong?"

"Just a bunch of stupid family stuff."

"If it has you that upset, then it's not stupid."

Maemi smiled at him weakly, unable to look him in the eyes. He was right; it actually was not stupid. What her father had done was stupid but her being upset about it was justified. Her arguing with and alienating her…her…what the hell is he? Her Naruto was the only thing she could come up with. Brother? Lover? Boyfriend? Hell if she knew. Everything was so hurtful and confusing to think about. Her brain ached.

"How about we go to the beach early? You could use a swim to clear your mind and relax. It might even be romantic," he added, touching her hand as he looked into her eyes.

Romance. Yes. That's just what she needed since her life was not enough of a disastrous predicament.

* * *

Maemi was wearing her lime green bikini which virtually glowed from the golden rays of the setting sun. She gingerly stepped into the water, hissing from the cold liquid on her hot skin. She had stood to long in the heat allowing it to warm her body before getting into the water. Advancing slowly with goose bumps rising over her entire body and biting her lips to bear the chill, she made her way out into the ocean. She continued to walk until the waves rushed up and over her head. Holding her breath, she allowed herself to sink under the water and remain suspended beneath the surface. Eventually she would have to rise, but her momentary escape was quite relaxing.

Unfortunately, Itachi thought she was in trouble and dove down to get her. He pulled her to the surface, holding her firmly against him.

"Itachi, I wasn't drowning," she snapped at him.

"I know. Maybe I just wanted you for myself," he said, kissing her cheek. He would not let her go as he held her with her back to his chest. "You'll be safer this way. I'll hang on to you. Just relax."

Maemi closed her eyes allowing her body to float along the tops of the waves while he held on to her with his arms hooked over shoulders. She forgot about who she was with and why she was upset; she wanted to forget it all for a little while. It would still be there later and she could deal with it then.

* * *

Itachi handed her a beer as people began to gather around the fire. He sat down beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders. Sliding Hidan and Deidara caustic looks to warn them to stay away, he kept his arm around her protectively.

Maemi glanced around apprehensively. She was in his circle of friends. Most of these people she did not know and the ones she did know, she wished she did not. Hearing a gale of screaming laughter, she looked down the beach to see that there was another party going on. They were her friends – well, the people who were once her friends. She had not heard from any of them since her break up with Shikamaru. Taking a sip of her beer, she decided she was better off. Who needs friends like that? 'Friends' who would abandon her so easily?

"I'm going for a walk," she mumbled in Itachi's ear. She stood up, wiping the sand from her behind as she walked away. Instead of walking in the direction of the deserted area of the beach, she headed straight for her so called friends. All talking and laughing immediately ceased when she appeared at the edge their little gathering.

"What are you doing here?" Shikamaru demanded sitting with his arm draped over Ten Ten's neck. The dark haired girl gazed into the fire without even acknowledging her friend's presence.

"I just wanted to come say hello. I thought some of you were still my friends," she said, staring hard at Ino who was firmly entrenched in Kiba's clutches. Ino hung her head to avoid looking at her. "I guess I was wrong."

Maemi turned to walk away when Shikamaru yelled her name. She whirled around, questioning what he could possibly want.

"You're brother's here," he told her with a wicked grin on his lips. He jerked his head to the right, indicating the outcropping of rocks near the ocean's edge. "He's over there humping Sakura's brains out."

Maemi felt nauseated and struggled to stay standing. She must have had an expression on her face that betrayed the hurt she felt because Shikamaru started laughing like an evil genius who had just announced his plans to take over the world.

"Thanks but I don't know why you think I'd care. He can screw anyone he wants to. He's just my brother," she declared hoping they did not notice how her voice weakened and faded when she said brother. She kept telling herself she did not have the right to be hurt. It had been her decision to shove him away and she could only blame herself for the present situation. She stumbled back toward Itachi and his group.

"Are you all right? What happened?" Itachi asked her, taking her into his arms when she dropped to her knees in the sand beside him. He grunted when she roughly covered his mouth with hers, kissing him with a passion born from pain.

"Take me home," she ordered him, kissing him again.

"Okay. Just tell me where you live and – "

"No. Take me to your home."


	10. No More Apologies

No More Apologies

"Where are we going?" Maemi asked when he drove out of the city limits.

"To my house," Itachi answered, swinging his gaze from the road to her briefly. "You wanted me to take you to my home right?"

"Yeah. But don't you live…" Her words trailed as her confusion mounted.

"No, I don't. I haven't lived in Uchiha City in years," he rejoined, smiling broadly.

Maemi laughed when he used the nickname everyone else called their family compound and business district. This was a surprising revelation. Why didn't he live there with his family? She stared at everything as he turned into a subdivision just over the border into the city. All of the homes were small and neat with nicely decorated front yards. Most were covered with various toys indicating that children lived there. Why did he live in a suburban hell? It was better than Uchiha hell maybe?

"Because it's peaceful and safe. There's a security here I don't even have with my own family," he said as if he had heard what she was thinking. "Kids don't make as much noise as you think. Besides it's always during the day when I'm not here anyway."

Maemi studied the two story brown brick home when he parked in the driveway. The yard was bare except for a few neatly trimmed bushes set right against the house.

"It's very nice," she complimented, remaining in her seat.

"You can come in and see the inside. It will be more comfortable to sleep in the house than out here," he said, getting out and walking up the sidewalk.

Maemi could feel the heat of embarrassment rising to her cheeks. She extracted herself from the car and followed him into the house. The interior was clean and neat; the furnishings were sparse yet orderly and simple. Everything was in shades of brown from sand to dark chocolate brown.

"Come on," he beckoned her, standing on the bottom step of the staircase. He led her to a room and told her, "You can stay in here tonight. There's even a bathroom attached to this room where you can take a shower in complete privacy. I'll bring you something to wear."

"Wait," she said, totally perplexed again. "I'm not staying with you, in your bed?"

Itachi smiled, sliding his fingers through her hair. He pressed a chaste, undemanding kiss to her lips. His eyes held hers when he said, "No. I want you to come to me when you want me. Not because you're angry with someone else or nursing some hurt. I can wait."

Maemi lowered her eyes from his, closing them when he pressed a kiss to her forehead and hugged her.

"Go get a shower and relax. Everything will be all right," he assured her.

* * *

After her shower, Maemi had returned to an empty bedroom with a t-shirt laying on the end of the bed for her. Itachi had even locked the door behind himself after leaving to give her further privacy and security. He had left her alone to get some sleep; however sleep did not come. She had been lying awake for hours staring into the darkness. A smile curled her lips despite her hurting heart when she thought of the incredibly thoughtful Itachi. Her phone rang, making her jump so violently she thought her body would fly apart.

"Where the hell are you?" Naruto hissed.

"Somewhere safe. I'm perfectly all right," she told him, thinking to herself that it was only in a manner of speaking. "Have fun with Sakura?"

"Huh? Oh, um…ah, the thing is…" There was a long pause after that.

"Her nickname is sperm bank for a reason. You know that right?"

"Sperm bank?"

"Yeah. 'Cause she gets so many deposits," Maemi spat out viciously into the remarkable quietness on the other end of the call. "How could you? With her? Especially after what Shika did."

Maemi felt the tears coming but did not want to let them fall. She was tired of crying, and it solved nothing.

"When are you coming home?" Naruto asked, the sadness evident in his voice.

"I don't know. I need to go," she replied, pressing the end button immediately.

There was a soft knock on the door. After wrapping the blanket around her, she went to the door and opened it. A smile came to her lips when she saw Itachi standing there with a mug.

"Here. I thought you could use this," he said, holding out the steaming cup toward her. "It's hot chocolate. I know its summertime but there is always something comforting about hot chocolate."

Maemi nodded, taking the cup from him. Chocolate in any form was always a winner with her.

"Do you feel like talking or would you rather be left alone?" he inquired which pleasantly surprised her.

She had grown accustomed to men just barging into her room and demanding her attention. "Do you really feel like listening?"

"Sure. I don't mind listening," he responded, taking her by the hand to lead her downstairs.

He didn't take her to the bedroom? He did not lay her down on the bed then try to seduce her? This was very different. Maemi felt like she had come for a visit to a psychologist's office when she sat down on the couch, and he sat down in the chair next to the couch. She smiled into her mug as she took a sip of the sweet brown liquid. Looking at her handsome black haired companion, she joked, "Ask me how I feel about anything and I'll stab your eye out."

Itachi chuckled lightly, leaning forward with his elbows propped on his knees. "So how do you feel about things?"

Maemi made a sound something like a growl and concentrated on the flavor of the sweet and tasty cocoa. At this time, it was a valid question. The last few weeks had been a damn mess, and she was not sure how she felt about anything. Being away from the insane asylum called home and its two patients, Jiraiya and Naruto, she might be able to figure her life out. She hoped she could get things under control before her mother makes good on her threat to come back into town to turn her life upside down again.

"I'll tell you how I feel about things…confused, hurt, angry. Something's broken and I don't know how to fix it," she mumbled, staring into her cup.

"Maybe it's not your job to fix it. Maybe you should just fix yourself," he said, trying not to stare at her. He did want her to feel awkward or under pressure. It sounded like she had been feeling that way for far too long. "Why don't you get some sleep if you can? I'll take you home in the morning."

* * *

"Where have you been, Maemi?" Jiraiya calmly asked her when she walked in the back door. He had been sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her since dawn. It was now noon.

"A party," Maemi answered, attempting to rush past him but he grabbed her arm.

"Not so fast, little girl," he growled, spinning her around to face him as if she were his partner in a ballroom dance.

"Daddy, please!"

"Daddy? Oh, you must have been real bad last night!"

"Well, if anyone would know…how dare you give me the third degree?" she demanded, taking great offense at his accusation.

"The same way you do me, dear. We need to talk. Now sit down," he ordered, attempting to drag her to the table.

"No!" she screamed, digging in her heels like a stubborn mule. She was pulling back on his hand so hard her rear was a mere foot from the floor as she attempted to gain leverage and refused to move.

"Seriously?" He released her hand and she fell right on her behind with a stunned "oof." "I made coffee. Have a cup and get comfortable at the table," he suggested, walking away from her.

Maemi decided she might as well talk to him since he felt the need to have a father-daughter talk. She fixed her coffee and joined him at the table. The coffee might help her think since had not gotten much sleep except for a few fitful hours interspersed between thinking and crying while trying to reason things outs.

"Maemi, don't make the same mistakes I've made," Jiraiya started out, making her choke on her coffee.

"Trust me. I'm making it a point to do absolutely nothing that you've done. Especially repeating your mistakes. Don't worry. I'll be fine," she assured him, daring to take another sip of coffee.

"Yeah, well, don't run so hard from being like me that you turn into something else entirely," he muttered, staring out of the wide sliding glass door.

"You mean to be like Mom? There's nothing wrong with Mom." She lifted her coffee cup to her lips before she said another word. It would be too painful for the both of them. They've had these circular conversations before and it got them nowhere.

"Say it. I know you want to. You still blame me for your mother leaving. If I had not been a cheating asshole, she would still be here," he said, glaring at her.

"Don't forget drunken fool," she added, getting up from the table. She did not feel like doing this. "You have no idea the things I've been through because of you. I'm treated like a common whore by men because of your reputation. I've even been sexually assaulted because men expect me to easy. The strange looks, the whispers, the cruel words from _everyone_. I'm just tired of it, Dad. I can't do this anymore."

Maemi turned and walked up the stairs. She felt bone tired and desperately weary suddenly. Going to her room, she lay down on the bed to decide what to do.

"Oh, god," her father murmured, running his fingers through his long hair. No wonder she hated him some times. How much had she gone through that he did not know about? Why had she not told him? He ran upstairs to her room. He could not leave the conversation like that.

"Maemi," Jiraiya called, tentatively pushing the door open. He dodged the pillow when it came hurtling through the air but the second one got him right in the face because he was not expecting rapid fire projectiles of fluffy softness. Catching the third one, he threw it back at her which caught her off guard. He walked over to the bed as she was standing up beside it.

"Go away! Just leave me alone!" she yelled, hitting him with it pillow fight style when he stood in front of her.

"No! We have to work this out! Want to hit me again?" he asked, receiving his answer when she whacked him across the face with the feather filled weapon. "Do it again!"

For the next fifteen minutes he allowed her to pummel him until Maemi dropped to her knees with tears streaming down her face. She was red faced and sweating. Her arms and shoulders ached from the hard hits she had been giving him, some of which actually hurt him despite being delivered by a pillow.

"Baby, I'm sorry," he whispered to her, pulling her to feet. He put his arms around her for a strong embrace.

"You have no idea what I've had to go through because of you," she howled, hanging onto him as she cried out her pain and frustration. She pushed him away when the tears stopped and anger replaced them. "Do you have a sick compulsion to do dumbass things? Or do you just not want to stop being an idiot? What kind of moron hits on the Chief of police's wife and does not expect any repercussions? The sad thing is, I'm not surprised you were in jail. I was more surprised that you've been able to avoid it this long!"

"I'm so-" He began to immediately stop when she raised her hand.

"No more. I can't stand to hear it. Get out, please," she begged, wiping the remaining tears from her face. "Get out! Just please get out."

Jiraiya left without another word. Anything he said or did at this point would only make it worse. He was afraid he had accomplished the same thing with her that he had her mother. He pushed too hard, did too much, and made her reach her breaking point. Too late he realized that she had endured all she could take.

* * *

Maemi was lying on her stomach with her eyes closed when her door creaked open. "Get out," she ordered, thinking it was her father.

"No. I need to talk to you," Naruto said.

Oh, god! This was just what she needed to make her day better. Maemi assumed he had been lurking in his room waiting for his chance to try to apologize. She did not want to hear it from him either.

"Before you say anything, let me talk," she said, rolling off the bed to stand in front of him. "Don't tell me you're sorry. I don't want to hear another apology. I'm done with the both of you. What would you like to say to me?"

"Nothing," he answered, shrugging with an icy, emotionless expression in his usually loving, brilliant blue eyes. "You just took away my ability to say anything to you. I wanted to apologize and ask about our relationship. So I guess that's it huh?"

"Yeah. That's it," she responded coldly, turning away from him. She heard his heavy footsteps as he walked toward the door. Steeling herself for the door to be slammed in anger, it startled her and caused her to jump when there was nothing but a low click from it being carefully closed behind him.

Maemi grabbed her phone and called her mother. She might regret this, but she did not know what else to do. After the formalities were exchanged, her mother asked her what was wrong. She rattled off the events of the last several days, not even leaving out the parts about Naruto. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! She decided to lay it all on the line and whatever happened would just have to happen.

"Mom? Are you still there?" she asked when her full confession was met with silence. She was afraid her mother had gotten disconnected or hung up. A deep sigh on the other end of the phone let her know that neither had occurred. Her body began trembling when no onslaught of insults or yelling ensued from her mother.

"Baby, just hang on for a few days. I'll be there and we'll try to work this out. Your father needs you. You can't leave him," her mother said with a definitive sadness in her voice.

Maemi was shocked her mother would say such a thing. Her anger flared again and she spat out, "Why not? You did."

Tsunade sighed noisily again then calmly said, "I'll be there in a few days. Just don't do anything until then."


	11. The Sanity Break

The Sanity Break

Uruchi Uchiha was an incredibly pleasant and patient lady. She calmly explained everything to Maemi and would not even allow a sigh of exasperation to escape when they started over for the third time on the bread dough. Somehow, despite her inept new employee and with the help of her husband, they managed to get the items baked to stock the bakery for the day. Dealing with customers and running the cash register was something Maemi could do quite well so the rest of the day went much smoother and a whole lot less stressful. At the end of her first day, Maemi was sent home with a big bag of baked goods and a warm good-bye that included reminding her of her time to arrive tomorrow. She was relieved and thankful they still wanted her assistance. Swearing to do better tomorrow, she walked away with a smile.

Maemi was about to get into her car when her eyes were covered up by a soft pair of hands. She froze with fear and surprise. Her heart felt like it would burst from beating so fast when a pair of lips grazed her ear.

"Guess who?" the man whispered, obscuring his voice from recognition.

There was a gentle, playful tone to the voice that comforted her and let her know she had nothing to fear. Reaching behind her, she touched a head with smooth, soft hair. She pictured it being black and long, pulled back in a ponytail.

"Itachi?" she guessed with a smile on her face. She giggled when he kissed her cheek and turned her around to face him. Another kiss was pressed to her lips before she could get a good view of him or say anything.

"How'd it go?" he asked, smiling warmly at her.

"Okay. I'll definitely have to work on my skills with bread dough. The cookies and pastries tutorial went fine," she laughed, looking him over. He was wearing a suit. She could never have imagined him in something like the black business suit he wore complete with white dress shirt and cliché red power tie. Men still wear those?

"We had a meeting today. I work for my father at his private security corporation. I'm Chief Financial Officer," he explained, smiling even more broadly at her as she straightened his tie.

"Oh, nepotism with a great title. Shameless favoritism never hurt anyone I suppose," she joked, squealing when popped her on the behind.

"Hey, I'm good at what I do. He wouldn't keep me around if I wasn't. My father is an impatient man and a very proud one. He won't deal with mistakes and laziness. Not even from his own son," he pointed out to her quickly to save face.

"Do you ever find the irony comical? I do," Maemi stated tonelessly with a mirthless chuckle.

"What irony?" Itachi inquired with sincere interest, propping his elbow on the roof of her car.

"Your dad is in private security yet you're the leader of a gang right under his nose." She leaned back against her car when he trapped her between his arms with his lips close to her ear. Her pulse raced and pounded in her ears so hard she almost could not hear him speak.

"Would you believe we're not actually a gang? We're a special elite task force in my father's company," he whispered to her. There was no smile on his face when he moved back to look at her and hold her stunned gaze with his steady and serious black eyes.

No. Maemi would not have believed it had it not been for the intensity in his eyes. Why did he confess such a thing to her? Sometimes it seemed as if he knew her better than she knew herself. He could read her mind, anticipate her needs before she even knew them occasionally, and trusted her with a secret that could be detrimental to his safety.

"Itachi…" Her voice trailed away when the words died on her tongue. What could she say? What did she want to ask? Nothing and a million things respectively.

"Come home with me. Let me make you dinner. You can stay if you want," he told her, holding her gaze as if he were searching for the answer in her eyes.

Maemi held her breath when he kissed her. It was a longer, more ardent kiss than his usual sneak attack kisses that were unexpected pecks on the lips and he was done.

"I need to go home and grab a few things," she responded, dropping into her car.

"Okay. I'll see you soon," he said, kissing her on the cheek before she drove away.

Maemi drove to her house contemplating exactly what he meant by telling her she could stay. Stay a night, a week…forever? She scoffed at herself for even thinking forever. When she pulled up to the house she saw that both of the men who had been driving her crazy were at home. With a deep breath and determination, she stomped into the house. They converged on her like vultures on a day old carcass in the desert.

"How was your day? Did you like it? Were they nice? How did they treat you? Are you going back? Where are you going?" The questions were hurled at her from both Jiraiya and Naruto and she answered none of them as she tromped up the stairs and straight to her room. She packed a suitcase with a week's worth of clothes just in case of…whatever.

"Where are you going?" they demanded in unison when she tried to breeze past them with the suitcase.

"Away," Maemi answered cryptically, refusing to stop or look at either one of them.

"Who are you staying with?" the two men asked in one voice. Their united front was beginning to annoy her. It was two against one.

"A friend." Once again, there was no need for detailed explanations.

"Itachi?" Naruto asked, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"You've got to be kidding," Jiraiya snapped, glaring at her.

"He's been very nice to me. He's been there when I needed someone. He wasn't drunk or with another woman," she growled, giving her father a wilting glare. Her anger filled eyes turned next on the boy who was once her favorite blond. "He didn't try to seduce me or get me into bed either. I need time to think and he's giving me that. Unlike here at this, this…mad house!"

Maemi turned with a snort of derision after dividing another deadly look between the two men in front of her. Clutching her suitcase tightly to her chest as if protecting herself, she hurried out of the door to her car. She felt like she could breathe for the first time in years. It was as if a weight that she had never noticed before had been lifted from her shoulders. How could she feel this way? She loved them both. Her eyes moved to the front door, looking at the two men who stood there.

_Sometimes what we love the most can kill us. _Her mother had spoken those words to her the night she left so many years ago. She had chased her mother out of the door, grabbing the suitcase her mother held and engaging her in a tug of war. Tsunade snatched the suitcase from her overwrought and panicked daughter, pulling the maniacally screaming sixteen year old Maemi into her arms. She had whispered loving, reassuring words to her daughter until she could clearly hear her mother speaking.

"I'm sorry, baby. I've got to go for my own sanity. Some day you will understand and forgive me. I love all of you. I do. Sometimes what we love the most can kill us. It's not always physical death. There's mental and emotional death too. I have to go," her lovely mother told her, tears in her amber eyes before she turned to literally run away.

"Mama! Mama! MAMA!" Maemi wailed as if she were a two year old who had been dropped off at an orphanage. She dropped to her knees and continued to sob while shrieking for her mother as the two men looked on in a confused, helpless daze.

Maemi looked at her suitcase. Her father's words of warning not to become like her mother vibrated in her skull. She turned on the car and stomped the gas. The tires squealed as they burned across the driveway in her haste to get away. _Sometimes what we love the most can kill us._

Through her tears and without stopping, she requested out loud, "Forgive me."

* * *

Maemi spent the next few days concentrating on familiarizing herself with her new job and her new friend Itachi. She was surprised when he gave her a key to his house and told her she could stay there. Just like the first night she stayed over, he allowed her all the privacy she needed and never stepped foot in her room. If they spent time together it was in the living room or kitchen. They were preparing dinner together on Friday night when she received a phone call from her father.

"Your mother will be here tomorrow. I will be picking her up from the airport," Jiraiya told her.

Maemi grabbed one of the barstools at the counter to sit down before she fell down. He's picking up her mother? How will they survive the ride together from the airport? What is going on here? She gladly accepted Itachi's bracing hug as reality tried to slip away from her.

"Come home tomorrow as soon as you get off of work. We need to have a talk," her father said, waiting for a response from her.

"O-okay," she stammered weakly, pressing her cheek against Itachi's chest. The last family discussion occurred the night her mother left. What could it be this time? What fresh new emotional hell awaited her from the family this time?

The last several days of peace had been so exquisite and positively blissful. Maemi had a simple and calm life now. She went to work and came home. When Itachi arrived home, they cooked and ate dinner together. They watched television or read and sometimes just quietly talked about any subject they stumbled across. Then came a shower, a chaste kiss good night, and time for bed in her separate bedroom. It was shocking that he had not yet laid a hand on her or demanded anything more from her physcially. Either way, she liked it here and loved her new life without the drama and without the overwhelming neediness of others constantly crushing her. Guilt and shame washed over her from her selfish thoughts.

"Sweetheart," her father sighed into the phone. "When are you going to come home? Permanently?"

Maemi took a deep shaky breath, clutching Itachi's soft cotton shirt in her hand. Her chest hurt because it felt as if her heart were breaking. Sighing deeply, she realized that her father really needed her.

"Maemi, go home," Itachi ordered tenderly in his soft voice. "You can come back whenever you need to, but they need you. Go home."

"Daddy, I'll be home soon," she said, ending the call.

"Want me to take you home?" he asked, sliding his fingers through her white blond hair.

"Would you?"

"I'd do anything for you."

Maemi believed it.

* * *

"Baby, I'm glad your home," Jiraiya said, hugging her so tightly she thought he would crush every bone in her body.

Before Maemi could pull in a deep breath, she was caught in the strong embrace of a muscular blond. She lay her head against his chest, feeling his heart beating against her cheek.

"I've missed you, sis," Naruto stated quietly, stroking her long hair.

Maemi felt him stiffen then quickly release her and step back from her. She looked at his usually large round blue eyes that were narrowed to mere slits looking at someone over her shoulder. A defensiveness rose within her and prompted her to go to Itachi's side. Holding his hand, she pulled him into the house to greet the two very unfriendly men.

"Thank Itachi," she announced, pressing her body to his side. "He's the one who told me to come home. He drove me here and he's even going to talk to his Aunt about giving me the next few days off. You two should be thanking him."

After enduring a childishly mumbled 'thank you,' Maemi ushered Itachi back out the door and walked with him to his car.

"I'm sorry about that," she apologized when he pulled her into his arms.

"It's okay. I understand why they don't like me. I don't hold it against them. But I do like holding you against me," he murmured in her ear teasingly, making her giggle. He kissed her, then told her good night with a promise to call tomorrow.

* * *

Maemi had a brief conversation with her father that made her realize she had made the right decision to come home. Something was definitely going on but as of yet no one was saying exactly what. Later as she lay in her bed waiting for sleep to come, she heard the squeak of her doorknob as it turned for a certain blond let himself into her room. She held her breath as the bed shifted beneath his weight when he lay down next to her.

"What is it?" she asked, feeling his arm move around her body.

"I've missed you," Naruto answered, placing his hand over her breast.

"Me or the sex, Blondie?" she snapped, pushing his hand away.

"Maemi, please," he begged, rubbing his erection across her behind.

"Stop it right now or I'm kicking you out of here. Just hold me tonight," she requested, folding her arms over her breasts to cover them. She sighed when he molded his body to hers, holding her tightly with his arm around her waist. Soon they were both asleep.


	12. Serious Discussions

Serious Discussions

Maemi gazed at the blond in her arms with a smile on her face. She loved him. Unfortunately not like he wanted her to; she loved him as a brother and preferred it that way. Her heart belonged to another man, but she had not yet admitted it to Itachi or even herself. She loved to watch Naruto sleep. It reminded her of when he was little and would fall asleep in her arms for afternoon naps. He had been like flipping a light switch; on and running up the walls one second, then off and snoring lightly in blissful sleep the next. Pressing her lips to his pouty pink ones, she proceeded to wake him up. Her smile broadened when his round blue eyes blinked open and stared at her.

"Good morning, little brother," Maemi murmured in a syrupy tone.

"We're back to that huh?" Naruto growled, stretching and snarling like a grumpy bear.

"Yes, we are. We've got to get up and get ready. We're going to get Mom at the airport today," she reminded him, rolling away to sit up.

"Do you love him?" he asked unexpectedly when she stood up.

Maemi's back stiffened and she stood taller as it went ramrod straight with tension. She knew exactly that the 'him' in question referred to Itachi. She walked toward the door, answering with a plain statement of 'yes' before she walked out. Today was already going to be stressful enough. She did not want to start it by having an argument with Naruto.

* * *

The ride to the airport was eerily silent. No one said anything or asked any questions. It was as if they were all holding their breath. Under the circumstances, the reunion was subdued with kind, almost overly courteous exchanges, especially between the divorcees. Hugs were exchanged between Tsunade and the young people who took her suitcases to the car. Why were there so many? Maemi and Naruto traded shocked and slightly amused glances when the two parents haltingly embraced each other.

"What the hell is going on?" Maemi whispered when their heads were in the trunk positioning the suitcases.

"I have no idea but I'm afraid. Are you?" Naruto asked, seizing her hand.

"Yeah. I am," she answered truthfully, squeezing his hand that held hers to offer some kind of comfort.

They stood up to see the two people were now not only in each other's arms but also sharing a romantic kiss that was making other people stare.

"Okay. Now I'm terrified," Maemi muttered, slamming the trunk.

"Me too," Naruto responded, holding her hand as if it was his last tie to reality. What was happening?

* * *

"What's going on?" Maemi asked, unloading the tray of filled coffee cups onto the kitchen table. After placing the cream and sugar, she sat down across from her mother. She and Naruto shared another long look of confusion when Jiraiya and Tsunade clasped hands.

"I'm moving back home to help take care of Jiraiya," Tsunade announced with a tight smile on her face. She looked happy and sorrowful at the same time.

Maemi straightened up in her chair, regarding her mother with blatant skepticism. She doubted her mother's sincerity and wondered when the punch line to this disturbing joke would arrive. Her breath was coming in shallow, hard breaths. She did not realize she was nearly panting until Naruto grabbed her hand under the table and clutched it.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Naruto asked, gripping Maemi's hand so hard it hurt. He jumped when she pinched his thigh to alert him to release his iron grip on her hand before he broke it.

"What do you mean take care of him?" Maemi inquired, leaning against the blond sitting next to her for physical and emotional support.

"Honey," Jiraiya began, his dark eyes very serious yet hard to read as far as the other emotions held there. "I need help with my alcoholism and sex addiction. You helped me realize what your mother had tried to tell me for years. I lost her and I thought for sure I had lost you too. I had to face the truth and it was awful. Now I need your help to get through this."

"How can I possibly help?" she asked, staring at the contents of her coffee cup. 'My coffee is getting cold,' she thought, then began contemplating why she was thinking such an odd thing.

"I need your support and love like you have been giving me all of these years. I wish it had not taken me this long to see what you and your mother had been trying to get me to face all along," he said, reaching across the table for her hand.

Maemi took her hand out of Naruto's to slide it across the table to her dad. She would do her best to help, but she had no idea what she could do. She guessed it would be a learning process for all of them. Did this mean she had to put her life on hold again? Her emotions were amazingly calm and under control. However, she felt the urge to flee. She had to get out of here.

"Can I leave for a while? There's someone I need to talk to," she said, getting up without waiting for an answer.

"Where's she going?" Tsunade asked, looking at Jaraiya first then at Naruto.

"To see Itachi," the blond answered. He was very perceptive sometimes.

* * *

Maemi rang the doorbell despite having a key. She patiently waited for Itachi at the door. When he opened the door, she calmly stepped in to give him a hug and a kiss. Obviously she was too composed and controlled so he automatically knew something was wrong.

"Tell me what happened," he encouraged her, leading her to the couch. He held her as she relayed the family discussion to him.

"I don't know what this means for us. I wasn't even sure about our relationship myself actually. What are we doing?" she asked, her golden brown eyes searching his dark pupil less eyes for an answer.

"What do you want, Maemi?" he asked, running his hand through her hair.

"I want to be with you," she replied, closing her eyes when he kissed her forehead.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend? Do you want to live with me? Be a roommate? Would you like to be my wife?" he inquired, catching her off guard. "Where do you want this to lead?"

Wife? The word echoed in her head. Did she want to be his wife?

"For once you tell me what you want," Maemi said, reaching behind his head to pull the tie out of his hair. "I want to hear your hopes and dreams and desires."

Itachi stared at her dumbfounded for what seemed several minutes before he could speak. He raised his hand to her face, stroking her cheek with his fingers. A small smile forced up the corners of his mouth before he leaned forward to kiss her. For the first time in his life, someone was asking him what he wanted. He had always been told what to do and what was expected of him; he did it unquestioningly and obediently.

"I hope that you love me. I dream about marrying you. I desire to make love to you," he stated in a low voice barely above a whisper. His eyes held hers while they gazed at each other for a long moment while they both thought about his words.

"I do love you. I want to make both of our dreams come true by marrying you. Will you please, please make love to me," she murmured to him, sliding her fingers through his long black hair.

Maemi closed her eyes, feeling her body trembling in anticipation of his kiss and what was to hopefully follow. She sighed, holding fistfuls of his hair when his tongue gently entered her mouth to explore and taste. He was as sweet and undemanding as always, patiently and tenderly discovering the mysteries of her mouth and tongue while his hands tentatively slipped under her t-shirt. She held her breath when his fingers swiftly and deftly unhooked her bra so he could reach her breasts. Her nipples immediately responded to his touch by hardening into aroused peaks which caused a pleasurable sensation to run through her that made her moan.

"Let's go upstairs," Itachi whispered, reluctantly releasing her to stand up from the couch.

Maemi took his outstretched hand to allow him to lead her upstairs to his bedroom. A smile graced her lips when she saw the big, comfortable looking king sized bed that offered them plenty of room to play around. She turned to face him at the end of the bed, meeting his ardent gaze briefly before she removed her t-shirt and bra. While keeping her eyes locked on his, she removed her shorts and panties as well. Although she wanted to snatch the clothes from his body and throw him on the bed, she withheld to permit him to look her naked body over at his leisure. She enjoyed watching the desire fill his eyes as he slowly perused every inch of her from head to toe. She could barely wait for his hands to follow the path of his eyes; touching her, teasing her, gradually driving her senseless with pleasure.

"You're turn, my darling," Maemi said, reaching out to tug the black t shirt her was wearing upwards.

Itachi was slim with long smooth muscles instead of bulky ones. Just like his personality, his body had a quiet strength that was deceptive in its true power. He discarded his pants and underwear so that he too was completely naked. He reached out to touch her, gliding his fingertips down her neck and lower while looking into her eyes.

Maemi could feel her skin prickling and raising into goose bumps under his light, enticing touch. Her breath started to come in hard shallow gasps when his fingers grazed her sensitive nipple and sent a thrill of desire down her spine. She bit her lower lip, closing her eyes briefly when his hands cupped her large breasts, and he stepped forward to kiss her. Her hands instantly went to his hair again as he kissed her while carefully pushing her back onto the bed. She enclosed his waist with her legs; his member was lying thick and hard between her legs pressing urgently against her womanhood. Once again, their eyes locked in a soul searching stare. She slid one arm around his shoulders while pressing her hand against his madly beating heart when he raised his hips and little by little entered her.

"Maemi," Itachi whispered, pressing his hand to her cheek. His moan of pleasure blended with hers as he unhurriedly sank into her until his body was pressed firmly against hers.

Maemi rocked her hips, sending a sensation of unadulterated ecstasy through them both. She continued to the movement, concentrating on the expressions that crossed his face. Her own arousal was heightened by his sighs and groans of satisfaction as he tentatively moved within her. Sex with Naruto had been ferocious and exciting. Sex with Itachi was nearly transcendental particularly with the emotions it conjured up.

"Itachi," she moaned, holding him closely to her body as he made love to her. Her mouth searched for his and found it, and he was more than willing to sate her hunger for his kiss. That wonderful feeling of heat and pressure began to grow deep within her, begging to be released with just the right touch. She received that touch when he unexpectedly pushed up on his hands and thrust into her forcefully. Crying out his name, the pleasure flooded through her like a warm surge of pure bliss. She pushed her hips up at him, arching into the mattress. Her body wanted more of him; more that came in the form of him letting loose into her with a loud moan. She held him and kissed him as his body convulsed on top of her as he fully emptied himself into her both physically and emotionally. Anything and everything he wanted to give of himself, she was willing to take. It was her aspiration to be his alone for the rest of her life. She knew he would make that happen.


	13. The Unexpected Ultimatum

The Unexpected Ultimatum

The most obvious place, the cabinet in the kitchen specially reserved for liquor, had been cleared of alcohol first. Maemi was following her mother around with a sizable black trash can as they searched the house for hidden liquor bottles. She had no clue just how bad her father's addiction was until today. They went to his bedroom next and she searched the bedside tables while her mother checked the closet. They found bottles of booze in all sizes and shapes. One of the bottles was shaped like a naked woman; nothing like fueling both addictions at once. Following Tsunade into the bathroom, Maemi silently watched as her mother took off the lid to the back of the toilet and proceeded to pull out three bottles of vodka.

"Unbelievable," Maemi gasped, holding out the heavy and nearly full trash can for the bottles. "I'm going to the kitchen to dump these. I'll be right back."

"I'll keep looking. We have to hurry because your father will be home from his meeting with the publisher soon," Tsunade reminded her.

Maemi went to the kitchen to dump the contents of the bottles of alcohol down the sink. As she observed the brown liquid flowing out of the bottle she held, she pondered just how much money her father had wasted on booze over the years, although she had always had a good life and never lacked for anything material wise. How would things have been different if there had not been so much strife in the house? So much arguing and shouting had occurred. Fists were thrown in anger and words shouted leaving hidden wounds that were much deeper and longer lasting than the bruises. Would he have cheated had he not been inebriated and not in full control of his senses? Probably so. Jiraiya had always been something of a sexual deviant especially as a teenage boy according to her mother. Her parents had grown up together, been school mates and friends for years before they reunited after college and got married.

Maemi's mind wandered as she continued to pour out the fluid in each bottle. Her parents were married when they were about her age. They were both in their early fifties and had been divorced from each other nearly ten years. They had celebrated their sixteenth and last anniversary six months before her sixteenth birthday. There was only six months between their anniversary date and her birthdate. How could she have not seen this before? The bottle she held slipped from her hand and fell into the metal sink, shattering into a thousand pieces with a disturbingly loud crash.

"They got married because she was pregnant with me," she whispered aloud to herself as if hearing the words would make them less surreal.

"Maemi?" Tsunade yelled, rushing into the kitchen.

"Mom, why did you marry dad?" she asked, ignoring the glass in the sink and her mother's wide eyed stare.

"What? Because I loved him of course," her mother answered, grabbing paper towels to begin scooping the glass out of the sink.

"Did you? Or was it because you were pregnant with me?" Maemi inquired, staring at her mother who immediately halted her movements. "I feel so stupid that it took this long for me to figure it out. It explains why you two were so unhappy for so long. You never wanted to marry each other in the first place."

"Listen, it's not like that," her mother murmured, gathering the edges of the paper towels together around the glass. She threw the bundle of glass away in the trash can half full of empty liquor bottles, turning away from her daughter to avoid her burning glare.

"What is it like then, Mom? Please tell me," she begged, holding back her tears which made them sting her eyes.

Tsunade took a deep breath, rolling her amber colored eyes heavenward in a silent prayer for strength. "Your father and I were already dating and planning to get married anyway. We had our plans fast forwarded when I found out I was pregnant with you. What happened to destroy our marriage was completely between us and had nothing to do with you. How could you even think you were responsible?"

"I don't know, Mom. I'm just trying so hard to understand all of this. I want there to be a reason that Dad is the way he is other than he's just a pervert, plain and simple. I want to be able to point to one thing and say, 'well this is the cause right here. If we fix this everything will be fine.' I want the emotional hurt and the fear to stop," she sobbed, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth as the unshed tears refused to be held back any longer. "Mama, I'm in love and it scares the hell out of me. He asked me to marry him."

Tsunade grabbed her daughter and embraced her tightly. Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she held her crying child who was now a grown woman. She had sometimes envied her daughter because she was so strong and had handled everything so well. She had comforted herself for leaving with the lie that Maemi was young and resilient; that she was old enough to understand and would not be adversely effected by the divorce.

"That Uchiha boy?" Tsunade asked, unable to hide the disdain in her voice.

"Why do you all say it that way?" Maemi exclaimed with exasperation. Every one of her family members spoke the name Uchiha as if it left a bad taste in their mouth. She wiggled her way out of her mother's arms, turning away from her.

"Honey, do you know what it is I do exactly? What kind of business I run?"

"No, Mother as a matter of fact I don't. You've never bothered to let me in on that little secret."

"It started out as a private detective business with me as the only employee. Back then it was mainly cheating husbands and lost dogs. Then I began to work with police agencies on cases which eventually led to government contracts as well. Over the last few years, I've investigated high profile but top secret things like organized criminal activity and terrorist threats. My agency has assisted with bringing down notorious crime lords and quashing national disasters. I suppose my little private detective agency turned into a counter intelligence agency somewhere along the way," Tsunade explained.

Maemi put her hands on the counter to hold herself up. So her mother and Itachi both were actually part of organizations that were involved in super-secret spy squirrel, if-I-told-you-I'd-have-to-kill-you type stuff. That's just awesome. Her head was beginning to pound with an oncoming headache. She moaned and her head dropped forward when her mother continued to talk. The terrible feeling that this was only going to get worse was so overpowering she felt queasy.

"We've been investigating the Uchiha's for the past three years. They're very good at what they do and we're trying to figure out exactly what that is. It's hard to tell exactly whose side they are on so we've determined they're completely neutral and on no one's side but their own. They work for the highest bidder regardless of who they are. They're killers and thieves, Maemi. They've gotten rich off the misery of others," her mother told her, reaching out to touch her daughter's shoulder. She quickly pulled back when the irate young woman turned around with anger flashing in her eyes.

"Who hasn't, Mother? You and Dad are not different from them. You just target a different kind of unhappiness that human beings suffer. Dad writes perverted sex books for men who aren't getting sex to use to jack off with and romantic novels for lonely, pathetic middle aged women to ease their lonesome hearts. You began by capitalizing on the despair of wives with philandering husbands. Then you graduated to discovering threats to the lives and happiness of millions by tracking down terrorists and busting big time criminals. How are you two any different?" she demanded, her eyes overflowing with furious, bitter tears.

"What we do works for the good of the people. We help people. We protect the innocent," Tsunade retorted, glaring at her daughter vehemently. "The Uchihas are evil people, Maemi. They do terrible things."

"That's what helps you sleep at night? To justify the things you do? How many people have gotten emotionally scarred or killed during your investigations? How do you know that the Uchihas don't do the same thing you do? How do you know they're not tracking down terrorists and criminals and handling them on their own? What if they're doing it the right way and you're not? Sometimes going through the proper channels and taking legitimate legal measures gets nothing done except for pissing off the bad guy and letting the threat go free to kill another day. The Uchihas are like surgeons and remove the cancers of society. Quick, clean, and immediate to halt the destruction. Your _proper _way of handling things allows them to continue being a danger to people. Who's really evil here?"

Maemi was visibly shaking by the end of her rant. She and her mother glowered at each other in a stubborn silence. They both knew whatever was said next would only continue the argument, and it would become a circular and endless struggle. She knew things about the Uchihas that her mother did not know. Not all of them were a part of the security organization. Uruchi and Teyaki, the aunt and uncle she worked for who owned the bakery, were the kindest, most generous and loving people she had ever met. Although Itachi was literally his father's right hand man in the organization, he was like his aunt and uncle. She loved him because he was different than the rest of his family; because he was tender and caring. He had loved her first without making any demands on her and without expecting her love in return. What had her own family done? Her mother abandoned her then criticized her cruelly and mercilessly for years. Her father drowned his sorrows in booze and sex, giving the rest of his time and attention to his martial arts students. These were the people who loved her?

"Maemi, you need to decide what you're going to do. I won't allow you to see that boy anymore," Tsunade announced, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at her daughter with resolve.

"Are you serious? Mom, I'm the same age you were when you married Dad. Itachi is definitely not a _boy_. He is without a doubt a man. And I'm NOT pregnant," she pointed out viciously, smiling cruelly when her mother physically flinched. "Are you really asking me to choose between all of you and Itachi?"

"Yes. I suppose I am," her mother admitted with a slightly startled expression on her face. Her daughter had become shockingly perceptive and knew how to make a painful yet solid point. She was not prepared for what happened next.

"I won't do it," Maemi growled, glaring furiously at her mother for attempting to force such a decision. "I won't choose between my family and Itachi. And I won't walk away like you did."

"Let Itachi go. You need your family. Your family will always be here."

"Are you trying to frighten me or comfort me by that fact?" Maemi laughed. It was a superficial, discordant sound in its inappropriateness. There was definitely no joy in it. She rushed forward, hugging her mother tightly. After stepping back from Tsunade, she erased the hate and ire out of her eyes before opening her mouth again. "I love you, Mom. But how dare you leave me for ten years then think you can step right back in and run my life. I won't leave Dad because he needs me. I'm the one who has taken care of him and Naruto while you were out building your undercover spy empire. I won't stop seeing Itachi Uchiha. I will marry him, but not right now. He will wait for me. He loves me that much. When am I allowed to begin my life, Mother?"

For once in her life, Tsunade was speechless. She gaped her daughter unable to speak. Her daughter had grown up and she had missed the whole thing. It was no one's fault but her own. Her heart ached and throbbed painfully within her chest. It was as if she could physically feel her heart breaking as she grieved for the lost years. She had fled, leaving behind her own daughter to pick up the pieces of her life and everyone else's – all alone.

Maemi walked away while her mother wept loudly and intensely. Her father would be home soon. She needed the find the rest of the hidden liquor bottles. She had already grieved enough for the past.

* * *

Later that night, Maemi could not sleep because of all the conflicting thoughts and emotions running through her mind. She carefully made her way downstairs finding Naruto at the computer in the living room. Gasping noisily, she covered her mouth to keep from crying out in shock when she saw the lewd images on the monitor of naked women in some of the most disgraceful and disgusting poses she had ever seen.

"It's not what you think," Naruto calmly informed her, clicking on delete when the message box popped up.

"What is it then?" she asked, lowering her eyes to the floor. "Do you have to open them up before deleting the file?"

"I'm finding and deleting all the porn from Dad's computer. I'm opening the ones that have questionable names. There was one named _the christening_ that was a picture of a guy dressed in a priest's robe with a girl kneeling in front of him while he ejac –"

"Okay, okay I can guess the rest! Now I feel sick," she moaned, holding her stomach and walking toward him. She ran her fingers through his soft blond spikes, feeling the stab of rejection when he jerked away from her as if her touch was caustic.

"Don't touch me," he growled, punching the keys on the computer as if he were trying to kill them.

"Oh, o-okay," she stammered, turning to walk away. "I'm sorry I bothered you."

"You bother me, Maemi. You bother me a lot," he muttered, getting up from the chair. Grabbing her by the arm, he pulled her against his body.

"Wha – " Her question was abruptly cut off by his lips pressing against hers.

"When you're close to me, I want you. When you touch me, my body reacts in ways that I can't stop. I'm sorry. I don't know how to deal with this," he said, laying his head against her shoulder.

"Neither do I, Baby Brother," she murmured, putting her arms around him to embrace him tightly. "We'll figure this out somehow."


	14. Another Little Brother

Another Little Brother

Maemi and Naruto were in the living room talking when it happened. It began with loud banging of fists on wood and Jiraiya yelling for Tsunade. After exchanging a confused expression, the two went down the hall where their parent's rooms were located. Their father was standing outside of the room their mother was using and hammering the door with his big fists while bellowing her name.

"Dad? What's wrong? Is it something I can help with?" Maemi asked, her heart feeling the frigid talons of fear wrapping around it when her father turned his wild, unfocused eyes on her. Something was horribly wrong.

"YOU!" he shouted at a shocking volume, moving toward her with murder in his eyes. "What did you two with it all? Did you throw it away?"

"Oh, no," Naruto murmured, stepping in front of his sister to shield her from their rampaging father.

"Move, boy! My fight is not with you! It's with her," the man who was clearly not in his right mind yelled. "Her and her mother found every last bottle and got rid of them."

The doctor had warned them of sudden, violent outbursts of rage during Jiraiya's recovery as his body withdrew from the alcohol it had come to depend on. This was without a doubt one of those episodes.

"Maemi, run. Get out of here," Naruto ordered her, backing away from the man slowly advancing toward him with a sinister grin.

"No. I won't," she responded stubbornly. It was both terrifying and emotionally painful seeing her father like this. Second guessing the whole recovery thing, she wondered if it would not be better just to let it go and allow him to continue his vices.

Maemi noticed her mother's door slowly opening at the end of the hallway. She watched Tsunade appear over Jiraiya's shoulder with a syringe in her hand.

"Keep him distracted," Maemi whispered to Naruto, tugging on his shirt.

"I don't think we need to worry about distracting him," the blond pointed out to her because the man's eyes were fixed and unmoving from the targets ahead of him.

Jiraiya unexpectedly roared like an animal in terrible agony. They guessed that Tsunade had injected him with whatever was in the syringe. The insanely irate man turned and grabbed his ex-wife around the neck.

"NO!" Naruto and Maemi yelled in unison jumping on the man's back and clawing at his hands. They were both quickly sent flying backwards and crashing to the floor when their father shook them off as if they were annoying insects. They watched in horror and began scrambling to their feet when he leaned forward and reached for their mother once more. Tsunade stoically stared at her ex-husband without flinching or blinking an eye as his fingers curled around her neck again. She waved off the two people who were about to attack him for a second time. It seemed to happen in slow motion as Jiraiya toppled over and face planted on the carpet in the hall when the tranquilizer finally took effect.

Maemi dropped to her knees and began to cry. She was grateful when Naruto knelt in front of her and pulled her into his chest. Her crying turned into loud bawling. She thought for sure she would literally fall apart, disintegrating into a thousand pieces because she could no longer hold herself together.

"I don't know if I can do this," she sobbed, soaking down the front of Naruto's shirt with her tears.

"Of course you can. You're the strongest one of us all. You're the one who is always here for us," he murmured to her, stroking her hair.

"I'm tired. I don't want to be the strong one anymore. I want someone to hold me up and be there for me," she sniffled, immediately rising to her feet. She already had that someone. "I've got to go. I'll be back as soon as I can."

* * *

Maemi used her key to enter the house this time because all of the lights were off. It was two in the morning so it was fair to assume Itachi was asleep. She decided she would sleep in the guest bedroom she usually stayed in instead of taking the chance of waking him up by getting into his bed. Both of her feet had just contacted the upstairs floor when a hand covered her mouth and an arm encircled her waist. She felt herself being dragged into the room at the top of the stairs. It was not Itachi's arms around her. Why would he feel the need to sneak up on her or cover her mouth? Kicking and struggling to scream, she attempted to free her arms which were firmly locked under her captor's arm. She heard the door being kicked shut just before the light was flipped on, blinding her momentarily.

"What the hell are you doing here?" a voice that was somewhat familiar demanded.

Maemi grunted loudly when she was flung onto the bed covered by a black comforter. She had not been in this bedroom before because it was always locked. Itachi had told her that a family member sometimes stayed in here but not very often. She was shocked to be looking at that guest right now: his brother Sasuke.

"Why are you breaking into my brother's house?" he demanded, standing at the end of the bed glaring at her with his completely void black eyes. To be brothers and look so much alike the differences between them personality wise were amazing.

"I didn't break in. I have a key," she said, holding up the shiny gold key his brother had made for her.

"Why?"

"I'm your brother's fiancée."

"Liar," he snorted, sitting down on the bed beside her. He attempted to snatch the key away from her, but she pulled it out of reach and rolled off the bed onto her feet. "I knew he was dating you, but I had no idea he had gone off the deep end and asked you to marry him."

"I've been living here, kind of, for a while now. Where is Itachi?" she asked, thinking it odd that their struggling and talking had not disturbed him. He was not a very deep sleeper and had a tendency to be on high alert at any unusual sounds within the house.

"He's out of town. There was a sudden business emergency he had to attend to. That's probably why he didn't tell you," he said, staring at her with open curiosity.

_Business emergency. _A distinct hollow feeling something like a sucking black hole draining her very life away formed in her belly upon hearing those words. All of the words her mother had spoken began swirling around in her head. Those words coupled with the incident moments earlier with her father was more than she could take. Dizziness hit her with the intensity of a train.

"Are you all right?" Sasuke inquired, leaping off the bed and catching her just before she hit the floor.

"I-I d-don't th-think s-so," she stuttered, leaning her head against his chest.

"Damn, you sound like that irritating bitch Hinata. Hang on to me and I'll get you to the bed," he told her, pulling her up to a standing position to make the few steps to the bed.

"Can you take me next door to my room?" Maemi requested. She was pleasantly surprised with how gentle he was being with her as he lay her on the bed; it reminded her of his brother.

"_Your_ room? Oh, your room," he repeated with an odd tone to his voice as he carefully lifted her head to put a pillow under it.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I found some of your stuff in there. I thought you had left it here as a gift for him to remember you after he had his way with you. You have some really sexy underwear."

"You little pervert," she mumbled, feeling weak and sleepy. She would have to remember to slap him later.

"Don't worry. I'll behave while you're asleep. You do belong to my brother after all," he said, unfolding the blanket from the end of the bed and putting it over her.

"I kinda like the sound of that," she murmured drowsily, grabbing his hand as he was tucking the blanket around her neck. "I love your brother."

"I believe you."

* * *

Maemi woke up with a headache. She looked around the room unsure of where she was at first as the recollection of recent events played through her mind. Sitting up and grabbing her head from the stabbing pain that seared through her temples behind her eyes, she saw a shadow move from the corner and materialize into a man. Sasuke Uchiha. Damn. He had not been just part of a dream after all.

"I'll go get you something for that headache," he said, walking out of the door.

Why was he being so nice? Maemi lay back down on the bed, curling into a little ball on her side as another lightning bolt of pain sliced through her brain. She sat up when he returned with medicine and a glass of water for her. Her whole body winced when she felt the gentle pressure of his fingers across her forehead.

"I'll call Aunt and Uncle to tell them you won't be into work today."

"How did you know I worked there?"

"I'm an Uchiha. I know everything that goes on with the family. It's kind of big deal when an outsider gets into the family even if it's just a job. But it's a whole lot more than that with you, isn't it?" he inquired, actually smiling at her.

Maemi was not sure if she should be happy or frightened he blessed her with one of his rare to nonexistent smiles. Instead she shrugged it off as he pulled out his cell phone to make the call. She took the pills and drank the water, lying back down on the bed. Her eyes followed his movements as he paced back and forth while on the phone.

"Aunt Uruchi?...I was just letting you know Maemi won't be in to work today…She has a bad headache…I don't know. I think something happened with her family again…Okay. Thank you," he said, hanging up the phone.

Maemi was stunned and slightly shaken when he sat down on the bed next to her, leaning back against the headboard. She felt his hand on her face and closed her eyes. Her mind raced with all sorts of crazy scenarios as to what he might do to her.

"So you've infiltrated the family in several sneaky ways. You convinced my brother he's in love with you going as far as to persuade him to ask you to marry him. Very good job with that by the way. My aunt and uncle adore you as if you were their own daughter. Why? What's your plan?" he inquired distrustfully.

"To marry your brother and live happily ever after," she answered truthfully.

"Seriously?" he muttered with a chuckle of derision. The sardonic smile dropped of his face when she sat up and glared at him ruthlessly. "Oh, you are serious."

"Are you always so suspicious of everyone? Believing they have ulterior motives?" she questioned him, her light brown eyes holding fast to the unwavering gaze of his darker than night and completely emotionless black eyes.

"Yes. I am. In my experience I have discovered everyone has ulterior motives. Everyone has a plan to get what they want and use others to have it," he murmured in a slightly menacing voice.

"Not everyone is like you," she retorted acidly, a short sharp shriek escaping he when he seized her roughly by the arms and pulled her against his chest.

"What if I wanted to have my way with you right now? What if I had sex with you and told Itachi you came on to me? That you seduced me because you wanted me all along?" He was almost nose to nose with her and his voice was nothing more than a ferocious growl like a rabid dog.

"Would you really want to hurt your brother that way?" She closed her eyes as her head began to pound and threatened to explode.

"I would rather him hurt a little now than allow you to hurt him a whole lot later. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make," he stated in a low, husky voice as he slid his hand down her face.

"You're full of shit. You love him too much. I don't give a damn how much you hate me but don't you dare threaten me with hurting your brother," she bit out through her clenched teeth.

"You don't scare easily do you?" he asked, looking into her eyes when they met his.

Maemi believed she actually saw a brief light of amusement in his eyes as they studied hers with interest. She put her hands on his chest, pushing herself away from him. "No. I don't scare easily and I don't cave in to bullies. That's all you are Sasuke Uchiha. You're nothing big blow hard and a bully. I hate you for what you did to my brother all those years."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot that little dork is your adopted brother," he said with a mocking smirk. His eyes opened wide with shock with her hand came across his cheek quickly and painfully. The amusement quickly turned to hatred when he glared at her angrily after being slapped.

"That little dork means the world to me. Just like you, I protect the ones I love. Don't you ever say another demeaning, hateful word about him," she snarled threateningly. A big smile suddenly crossed her face before she informed him, "Besides, he's going to be your brother-in-law. You better find a way to get along with him."

"Shit," he muttered under his breath, looking away from her. He rubbed his hands over his face and sighed noisily with frustration. "You're so much trouble. A real pain in the ass."

"Yes, well, this pain in the ass is going to be your sister." Her smile was immediately wiped off her face when his mouth covered hers. His kiss was far more aggressive and rougher than Itachi's; she would not have expected anything less from him.

"Welcome to the family, Sis."

Dammit.


	15. Ups and Downs

Ups and Downs

Maemi went downstairs to the kitchen after waking up from sleeping almost all day. She had slept in her room with the door locked to avoid awakening to find Sasuke staring at her again. Experiencing that once was plenty and not an event she cared to subject herself to again. He was being very kind and helpful to her which probably frightened her more than if he had done something cruel or distasteful. Could she have been so completely wrong about him? Those emotionless black eyes of his just creeped her out. If there was some way to tell what, if anything, he was feeling or thinking it might not be so terrifying. But he was like a blank slate of a human being. Betraying no emotions, but always thinking, always calculating and planning.

Maemi opened the kitchen cabinet while her present train of thought steadily progressed down the tracks in her mind. She had not even noticed that the man she was thinking about was sitting at the table silently watching her. Her fingers wrapped around a glass and that was the moment he decided to speak.

"Feeling better?"

Maemi shrieked in terror when his voice met her ears. She was so startled she released the glass in her hand and it shattered upon contact with the floor. "Oh, dammit," she grumbled.

"Stay right there," he ordered, getting up from the table to retrieve the broom and dustpan.

Maemi bent down to pick up the big pieces of glass while he swept up the tiny shards. She laid the big pieces in the dustpan when he held it out to her. With a loud sigh of aggravation with herself, she got another glass which she filled with water. She drank the whole contents of the glass while standing at the sink, refilling it before she sat down at the table.

"Thank you," she told Sasuke when he returned and joined her.

"You're a jumpy one aren't you?" he asked playfully with a slight smile playing at the edges of his mouth.

"Would it hurt you to experience an emotion occasionally?" she retorted, glaring at him.

"Probably. That's why I refuse to risk it. Besides, it seems to make people like you nervous that you don't know what I'm thinking or feeling. Doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does. There's no way to predict what people like you will say or do next. I don't like that. I like being able to anticipate and prepare for things."

"Some things in life you can never be ready for," he stated ominously, smirking at the quizzical look she gave him.

"At least we can agree on that," she sighed, staring into her glass as if the answers to all of life's questions would appear in the clear fluid.

"If you need to talk, I'm a good listener," he offered after a minutes when they lapsed into a long awkward silence.

"Do you care?" she inquired, raising her eyes to meet his.

"No. Not really," he answered truthfully. Before she could unleash a scathing remark, he briskly added, "But neither do therapists and you don't have to pay me a hundred dollars and hour to listen."

Maemi could not help but laugh. He was right. What did she care if he had an emotional stake in her problems? She needed to unload her thoughts and emotions before she went crazy. He would be as discreet as a professional therapist because he had no one to tell and no one who would care about her family drama anyway. After taking a deep breath, she told him about the events that had brought her here to her safe haven.

"Tell me how you and Itachi met. How you first started seeing each other," he prompted her once she was done speaking about her family issues.

"Well, as you know, there was the day on the pier with Hidan. Then I saw him at the club a few nights later, and he bought me a drink. He asked me out on a date after that and the rest, as they say, is history," she said, finishing off her glass of water.

"Awww, how romantic," he teased, the corners of his lips turning upward.

"Oooh, you better be careful there. You _almost_ smiled," she joked, getting up from the table. She put her glass in the sink and hurried from the room to give him privacy when his cell phone rang.

"Maemi!" he yelled from the kitchen when she was halfway up the stairs.

"What could he possibly want?" she asked herself, turning to go back down. Before she reached the bottom step, he was standing in front of her.

"Itachi won't be home for another week. There was a complication," he explained in the vaguest terms, avoiding her eyes.

"Sasuke, look at me," she requested, touching his chin and turning his face to see his eyes. She bit her lower lip when saw an emotion there: he looked worried. He could experience emotions under the right circumstances and involving certain people.

"I won't tell you what happened. Just know that he will be home when the problem is resolved," he assured her, jerking away from her hand.

"Fair enough," she responded, nodding to him before turning to go back up the stairs. She heard her phone ringing and ran to her room.

"Maemi, come home. Dad's asking for you," Naruto informed her before she even said hello.

"What's happening?" She gripped her phone so hard her fingers ached.

"A bad case of the DTs. He's sweaty and shaky. Talking out of his head. He's begging for you. Please come home," he begged anxiety evident in his voice.

"Okay. Give me twenty minutes."

* * *

"Where's my girl? Where's my baby girl?" Jiraiya asked in a singsong voice.

Maemi rolled her eyes and took a deep steadying breath. She felt sick. This reminded her of the nights her father would crawl in the back door literally stinking drunk. She walked into his room, sitting down on the bed beside him.

"I'm here, Daddy," she said, pushing away the damp hair that was plastered to his sweaty face.

"My sweetheart," he mumbled, pulling her into his arms. "Do you hear the birds, Maemi? I hear birds. Big fat blue ones in the trees singing their hearts out just for me."

When Naruto said Jiraiya was hallucinating he had not exaggerated. She dipped the washcloth in the cold water sitting on the beside table. While bathing his face to cool him down, she inquired with a serious tone, "Do you see pink elephants, Daddy?"

"Maemi," Tsunade hissed who was sitting in the room with them in a chair beside Naruto.

"Oh, come on, Mom. It's harmless, and he won't remember anyway. Damn. We have to do something to keep from going insane," her daughter retorted, turning her attention back to the obviously irrational man. At least he was being demented in a funny way this time and not scaring the hell out of everyone.

"No! No pink elephants," he mumbled almost incoherently, his eyes rolling around in his head for a moment. "They're purple."

"So they're gay elephants?" she asked, hearing Naruto snort behind her.

"Don't encourage her," their mother chided him, covering her mouth with her hand to hide her smile.

"Yes, of course, they're happy!" her father exclaimed, making them all burst out laughing.

They spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing especially when Jiraiya would blurt out something random no one was expecting.

"Squirrel!" he bellowed, pointing across the room.

"Oh, it was just a bunny," Maemi countered although nothing was there at all. She lay her hand across his forehead, relief flooding her that it felt cool and he was no longer sweating.

"Nuh – uh! It was a squirrel! It had a big fluffy tail!"

"Rabbits have fluffy tails."

"It was a long fluffy tail."

"Was it black and white?"

"Yes."

"It was a cat," she told him decisively, expecting to continue the ridiculous deliberation.

"Yes, it was," he agreed, choosing a cat instead of the obvious choice of a skunk for the imaginary animal. He yawned and put his arms around his daughter as if she were his favorite stuffed animal. "I'm tired."

"Go to sleep, Daddy," she encouraged him, stroking his long white hair as he laid his head on her shoulder.

"Baby, I love you. You've always taken such good care of me. I wish I could have been the father you needed," he murmured, his head steadily dropping forward as he drifted off to sleep while he was finishing the sentence.

She kissed his forehead and whispered, "You were the best father you could be, Daddy. That was good enough."

* * *

"Why are you out here drinking by yourself?" Sasuke asked when he found her on the back porch with a beer at midnight.

"I thought you were asleep. Want one? They're in the refrigerator," Maemi told him.

Minutes later he returned with two, handing her one of them before he plopped down in the chair next to hers. "I saw you were almost done so I brought you that."

"I was wrong about you. You seem like a really nice guy," she said, staring at the soft blue glow of the lit up pool just past the back porch.

"You seem like a scheming, condescending bitch," he rejoined caustically, sipping his beer.

"Oh, thank you for proving me wrong so quickly. You saved me a lot of disappointment in the future. You are a devious, cruel, heartless asshole," she returned, trading insult for insult.

"Ah, damn, you figured me out. You're smart at least," he chuckled lightly, glancing at her before returning his gaze to the pool.

"I suppose I better get to bed. I have to be at work in five hours. Good night, Sasuke."

"Good night, Maemi."

* * *

Once again, life settled into a nice, tranquil routine. The bizarre episodes caused by Jiraiya's detoxification and withdrawals steadily decreased and became less intense. Sasuke was actually a very good housemate; he was quiet, polite, and he even cooked dinner for her one night.

At the end of the week, Maemi received a call from Itachi while she was lying in bed attempting to sleep.

"Hi, sweetheart. I'm sorry to call so late, but I've missed you. I'm on my way home," he informed her. It sounded as if he were calling her from the airplane by the steady hum and whir in the background.

"I wasn't asleep anyway. I've missed you too. When will you be arriving?" she inquired, staring at the shadows on the ceiling.

"In about six hours."

'Damn. I'll already be at work,' she thought to herself, sighing heavily. Six hours. How long had he already been in the plane? Where the hell had he been that he still has six hours to go by airplane before arriving home? She could not even begin to guess.

"I can sleep while you're at work and be ready to see you when you get home. By the way, I bought you a ring. Start planning an engagement party," he told her.

Engagement party. Oh, dear god. Maemi closed her eyes as images of barroom brawls and battle scenes from war movies played through her head. The thought of getting their families together, especially placing Naruto and Sasuke in a closed in space with each other, was a terrifying prospect.

"Are you sure we shouldn't just elope? I told you my Mom hates the idea. I'm sure Dad will freak out as if he needs another reason to right now. And Naruto and Sasuke? They would kill each other. I doubt your parents would approve of our marriage seeing as I would be equivalent to the dirt under their feet," she muttered, knowing every word was spot-on with no overstatement.

"Hmmm," he mumbled thoughtfully followed by a long pause.

Maemi could hear her heart beating in her ears. Had he changed his mind about marrying her? Had she said too much and convinced him it was a bad idea all around?

"Eloping might be our best option. Besides, we can spend more money on the honeymoon which is the best part, right?"

"We can make the announcement after we're married. Then it will be too late for them to keep us apart."

"Good idea there, Juliet," he joked, referring to her as the character from Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet. _

"_My only love, sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late!"_ she quoted from the famous play.

"It does fit doesn't it?"

"Unfortunately so. I love you, Itachi."

"I love you too, Maemi._ Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow," _he recited from the literary work.

Maemi stared at the ceiling after hanging up. A sense of dread filled her so intensely nausea began to creep over her like a foreboding chill. This was not a play and they were not Romeo and Juliet. No one had to die here. Right?


	16. In Laws and Out Laws

In Laws and Out Laws

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Itachi asked her as she straightened his tie.

"No. I want to at least tell them we're getting married. They will find out soon enough. Our relationship had taken a frightening turn in resembling a seventh century Elizabethan tragedy," Maemi said, turning so he could zip up her short, tight black dress.

"Yes, Romeo and Juliet. I love you, Juliet. _What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet_," he quoted, kissing her neck and sliding his hands along her generous curves. Making a growling noise in her ear then licking her earlobe he whispered, "I want to taste my rose because she is so sweet."

"Itachi, you dirty boy," she giggled, halfheartedly struggling to get out of his embrace. She pushed his hand away when his fingers slid underneath her skirt. "Would you stop, you big tease? You sure have been affectionate since you've been back."

"How's teasing? That's a threat I'll make good on. I've missed you. Being away from you showed me how much I want to be with you. Always," he told her, kissing her passionately.

Maemi groaned, giving into the kiss and allowing his gentle tongue to explore her mouth. She had enjoyed the pleasurable attentions of her remarkable lover all week long. They had talked about their engagement and decided to have a dinner at a restaurant to inform both of their families of their intentions to be married. Using a restaurant for the location to make the announcement was for the purpose that the family members would behave themselves since they would be out in public.

Itachi had not given her the ring or even let her see it. He was planning on popping the question at dinner tonight in front of their parents and siblings. This would surely be a dinner for everyone to remember.

* * *

"Can you please take these away?" Maemi inquired, handing their server all of the knives from the table, even the butter knives. She bit her lip as she stared at the forks which had the potential of being used as weapons but they would need something to eat with.

"I told my parents not to order alcohol tonight and I also requested that a wine list not be brought out," Itachi informed her, checking over the table for any other potential weapons.

"You're so sweet. That's one of the many reasons I love you," she cooed, kissing him briefly.

"Is another one because I have big, hard d –" He was abruptly cut off by her elbowing him in the ribs.

"Hey, Mom, Dad!" she yelled, moving to hug her parents. A frown abruptly turned her smile upside down when she saw Naruto was standing behind them holding the hand of – she would so kill him later for this – Sakura. She knew he had brought the pink haired tramp out of hateful vindictiveness not just for her but Itachi as well. Her eyes watched the mirthless, overly wide fox grin slowly slide off his face as he looked at someone behind her. Once again a smile lit up her face. The Uchihas were here.

After Itachi's parents greeted him, an uncomfortable and silent glaring match began between the parents. Sasuke decided it was up to him to stir things up for better or worse so he grabbed Maemi and kissed her, long and hard right on the lips. Wiping his mouth as if he had given her a sloppy wet smooch, he leered at the blond whose already oversized blue eyes now seemed to take up half of his face they were so wide.

"Son of a - oof!" Naruto grunted when Sakura kicked him in the shin.

Maemi immediately remembered why she had liked the girl and been her friend which seemed so long ago. She smiled at her brother-in-law to be, admiring his gumption and willingness to piss off every family member of both families just to break the silence. Whatever happened now, it was bound to be interesting.

"So who's girlfriend is she, Sasuke?" their father inquired, patting him on the back. "Your's or Itachi's?"

"Itachi, I'll let you take it from here. Everyone, I think you should sit down for this," Sasuke announced, taking a chair in the middle of one side of the table with a grin of amusement curling his lips. He did not want to miss a thing.

No one moved a muscle until Itachi pulled the ring box out of his pocket. There was a sudden rush to the table as all of the people found a chair with an obvious desperation once they knew what was coming.

"Oh, dear god, Tsunade, I picked the wrong time to quit drinking," Jiraiya mumbled loudly as Itachi knelt down on one knee in front of his daughter.

"Maemi, will you do me the honor of marrying me and making me happy for the rest of my life?" he asked, opening the ring box.

Maemi stared at the gorgeous diamond solitaire with a heart shaped diamond on each side of it. She held out her hand for him to slide the ring onto her finger. "Yes, Itachi, I will marry you so can make me the happiest woman on earth," she answered, kissing him when he stood up.

"Where in the hell did all the knives go?" Fugaku Uchiha yelled, searching the table.

"I can't believe this is happening!" Mikoto Uchiha exclaimed, dabbing at her sorrowful tears with her napkin.

Maemi looked at her family which, shockingly enough, sat in silence staring at the Uchihas. She had expected the loud, adverse reaction from her parents, not his stoic quiet parents. Her eyes met Sasuke's and he smiled at her broadly with a genuinely amused grin. Naruto wore an expression somewhere between blind fury and heart stopping terror. Sakura was authentically stunned and gaped at her without blinking.

"I won't allow this!" Itachi's father yelled.

"Father, you can't stop this. We're not children. We called you here as a courtesy tonight to inform you of our engagement instead of you finding out about marriage later from a stranger. I love her and I won't let her go," he said, protectively pulling her against him as if visually demonstrating his intentions.

"I'll disown you. You'll no longer be an employee or even a family member. You'll be shunned and ignored by the whole family!" he threatened his stubborn son.

"Fine. If that's the way you want it, Father," Itachi returned, holding his fiancée firmly.

"Fugaku, please, stop this! He's our son. Please, don't do this," Mikoto implored him, grabbing her irate husband's arm.

"Shut up and sit down, Uchiha!" Jiraiya yelled, standing up to face the irrational and enraged man.

"You shut up, you worthless drunk!" Fugaku bellowed hatefully.

"Itachi, please," Maemi begged, tears filling her eyes. This was going even worse than she had feared.

Sasuke grabbed his father while Naruto seized Jiraiya shoving them both back down in their chairs. "Both of you shut up and sit down!" the brothers shouted in unison, glaring at each other. Had they actually agreed on something for a change? This was an incredible hallmark moment.

"Stop it now, all of you!" Itachi roared, shocking everyone into a startled silence.

Even Maemi was surprised by his sudden outburst. She had never heard him even talk loudly much less yell. Holding on to him for support because her knees had weakened, she laid her head against his swiftly beating heart. She swiped angrily at her tears, avoiding making eye contact with anyone at the table.

"We _love_ each other, and we _will_ get married. We wanted to share our joy with the people who matter most to us but apparently those people want nothing to do with it. Do you really want to spurn us and your future grandchildren? We will go on to have a great life and a wonderful family with or without all of you. You decide right now if you want to be a part of that and stop acting like children," Itachi stated in a firm, determined voice making it clear that he meant every word. His dark, angry eyes landed on his father as he added, "Stop acting like a prideful, arrogant bigot."

"Fugaku, I want to be a grandmother. I want to hold my grandchildren and kiss them. I want to feed them too many sweets and send them home to drive their parents crazy," Mikoto said, giggling slightly. She heard Tsunade chuckle and reached across the table for her hand. "I'm sure we both want to spoil our grandchildren."

"We can take our grandsons out hunting and teach them martial arts," Jiraiya said, staring at the emotionless Uchiha patriarch. "I even quit drinking so I could survive long enough to one day see my grandchildren."

Maemi sobbed against Itachi's chest while he held her tightly in his arms.

"Please don't make my little girl cry, Uchiha. She deserves to be happy. And so does your son," her father pointed out in an attempt to elicit a reaction of some kind from the man. "Whatever has happened between us in the past let it go. There's nothing we can do to change it anyway."

Fugaku sighed loudly with exasperation glancing at his wife, then Jiraiya, and finally at his son who was trying to comfort his understandably upset fiancée. "There's nothing I can do to change your mind is there? Anything I do or say will only push you away won't it?"

"Yes. That's it, Father. I've already made my decision and it's to marry Maemi. The decision is yours at this time," Itachi stated with obstinate resolve, stroking Maemi's long white hair that flowed down her back. "Do you want to be a part of our life or not?"

"All right, son. Well, sit down and let's have dinner. We have a wedding to plan," he grudgingly muttered.

"Thank you, Mr. Uchiha!" Maemi exclaimed, pulling away from Itachi and kissing his father on the cheek.

"All right, girl! One step at a time!" he warned her hotly, a slight blush tinting his cheeks.

"Yes, sir. I apologize," she returned, bowing slightly to him to show respect. She did not see the ghost of a smile haunting his lips as he fought giving in to the grin.

Maemi sat down in the chair her husband to be had pulled out for her. She kissed him on the cheek when he sat down beside her. She felt pure giddy with joy at this moment.

After ordering dinner, the conversation began about wedding plans.

"I was thinking about a small wedding in my parents' backyard. I would like to be standing on the bridge over our koi pond as we exchange vows," Maemi declared.

"Oh but that would never do! What about a traditional wedding at the temple?" Mikoto suggested.

"What's wrong with our backyard? We spent a ton on landscaping and have all sorts of unusual plants and exotic flowers. It's gorgeous!" Tsunade informed her.

"Well, we could buy all the flowers they would ever need. Whatever they want. Cost doesn't matter," the Uchiha mother countered.

"Isn't that nice? Sometimes it's not all about the cost but the sentimental value. Do you Uchiha's even know what sentimental value is? It does involve feelings," Maemi's mother retorted nastily.

"Oh, Lord, here we go again," Maemi muttered wishing she could order half a dozen tequila shots. She looked at her father and smiled. She was proud of how amazingly composed and tranquil he remained through this whole ordeal.

"Since we made the formal engagement announcement, should we consider eloping for the wedding? How does Hawaii sound?" Itachi inquired, ignoring the steadily rising voices of their mothers as they argued about cakes.

"Hawaii? What about the Bahamas?" Maemi asked,

"Doesn't that require a cruise? I get sea sick."

"Really?"

"Really."

Maemi whimpered, laying her head down on the table in front of her. How could planning a wedding be so hard? "Okay. Hawaii it is. Me, you, and a preacher on the beach. Then we can have Mai Tais and go back to the room," Maemi proposed.

"Sounds good to me," he answered, deciding it was time to quiet the shrieking harpies who had progressed to arguing about baby names. Really? That had managed to get that far planning the lives of the couple who had just announced their engagement? Itachi tapped his glass with his spoon which astonishingly enough was all it took to hush the quarrelling mothers. "I just wanted to get your attention to inform you all that we plan to have a destination wedding in Hawaii. Since our marriage will include just the two of us so will our wedding."

"WHAT?" the table full of people yelled in harmony.

"Selfish brat," Tsunade muttered petulantly.

"Well, I never," Mikoto sniffed with offense.

"Yep, this is going to be the start of something wonderful," Itachi proclaimed, guzzling the whole glass of water he had been using to gain everyone's attention.

"It will be for us but I'm not so sure about the in-laws," Maemi mumbled, staring at the table full of people.

The mothers were already arguing again. The subject this time was whose child was the most selfish for wanting to elope. The fathers stared at the contents of their water glasses wishing it were beer and that they were somewhere else. The two little brothers glared at each across the table.

Thanksgiving and Christmas and were going to a blast. With any luck, that would not be a literal explosion.


	17. Things Change

Things Change

"Dad, are you disappointed or upset with me?" Maemi asked the next day as she and her father sat at the kitchen table talking.

"No, baby. I'm not," Jiraiya assured her, reaching across the table to pat her hand. "A little advance notice would have been nice. I'm too old for those kind of surprises."

Maemi smiled sheepishly, a soft blush tinting her cheeks. She would have liked to have told her father, but she had been so afraid of his reaction. Not only was she marrying an Uchiha, she was _not _marrying his favorite pupil. She sighed loudly thinking of the blond who had always been such a big part of her life. It was going to be strange not having him around all of the time.

"Are you sure this is what you want? You're not just doing this to remove yourself as far as possible from us are you?" he asked, breaking into her thoughts.

"No. Of course not, Daddy. It's just that he's…he's different. He's different from any man I've met. He's kind and thoughtful. He always puts me and what I need first," she said, toying with coffee mug nervously.

"But he's an Uchiha."

"Yeah. I know. And that's what makes it so wonderful. He's not like the rest of them."

A long silence followed afterward but it was a comfortable pause in the conversation. They were simply enjoying each other's company because soon she would become Mrs. Itachi Uchiha. Things would inevitably change.

Jiraiya stared at her hand and the ring on her finger. He reached across the table to hold her hand. It was still small inside of his, but she was no longer his little girl. She was getting married and leaving him. He had missed it all: all of the recitals, parent's days at school, afternoons in the park, seeing her off to school dances, and even graduation. He had been a nonexistent father because he was busy with other things. Things that did not matter like wine, women, and song. All those years that could have been spent with her, getting to know her as a person not just as his daughter had gone by. Now she was leaving him to belong to another man, to be a wife and a mother. He smiled sadly as he looked at her. But she would always be his little girl.

"What?" Maemi inquired, believing she saw tears in his eyes.

"It's kind of sad isn't it? That we're just now getting close and you're about to be leaving and starting your own life. I knew it would happen someday. But time does have a way of sneaking up on you," he said with a sorrowful tone.

"Oh, Daddy, I'll always be your daughter. I'm not going to turn my back on you or stop talking to you because I'm getting married. I'll still be right here," she murmured, fighting back the tears herself.

"Well, you'll be a great wife," he said, chuckling slightly. "You'll be a great mother too. You've done a fine job of raising me. I love you, baby girl."

"I love you too Daddy."

Epilogue

Maemi glanced at her brand new husband as of four hours ago while they watched the sun set together from the back porch of their island bungalow. The ocean filled her ears and love filled her heart. Life was damn near perfect. She extended her hand to Itachi and he grasped it firmly. They were about to embark on a lifetime journey uniting two hearts and two families.

Jiraiya and Tsunade remarried. Their daughter planned the wedding for them. They exchanged their vows standing on the bridge over the koi pond in their backyard. Jiraiya stayed clean and sober and completely faithful to his loving wife. They looked forward to the grandchildren that their children would provide for them.

Naruto married a sweet girl he had met who was on holiday in their town. She would proceed to give birth to four boys over the years. Four rambunctious, overly energetic boys just like their father. He would finally get a taste of his own medicine times four and see what a handful and then some he had been.

Maemi and Itachi had two children: first a raven haired boy who was temperamental and fiery like his mother and then a red headed girl who was quiet and thoughtful like her father. They had a happy life together. Of course they experienced their own dramatic moments and pains in life but whose life doesn't have those things? In the end, they had many wonderful experiences, and they always had each other.


End file.
